A 33-year-old computer programmer and former pastor, Mr Ude Chikadibia Mastertruth, also known as Victor Ude, has been remanded in correctional custody after being arraigned on a five-count cybercrime charge, following what his family says was nearly two weeks of unexplained police detention.
According to Victor’s father, Mr Caleb Ude, the case traces back to a personal falling-out between his son and Apostle Love Judah of Truth Assembly International Churches, Owerri, where Victor had served as a pastor for about nine years.
The rift followed allegations of an intimate relationship between the Apostle and Victor’s wife, Mrs Miracle Ude, allegations Miracle reportedly disclosed to both her husband and her own father.
When Miracle’s father confronted the Apostle over the claims, the matter was said to have been relayed to His Worship Akuna Opara, a pastor at the church who also serves as a Magistrate in the Imo State Judiciary. Victor’s father alleges that Magistrate Opara subsequently warned Miracle’s father against speaking ill of the Apostle and made disparaging remarks about Victor, a confrontation that Victor, then living in Abuja with his wife, is said to have responded to in a series of social media posts about the Magistrate. Those posts later formed the core of the criminal case against him.
Victor was arrested in Abuja on 19 August 2026 and moved to Imo State, where he was held from 20 August at the State Criminal Investigation Department (X-Squad) in Owerri. The Investigating Police Officer is identified only as “Charles.”
His family says repeated attempts to secure police bail failed, leaving Victor in custody for roughly two weeks with no court appearance.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), acting on a complaint from Caleb Ude, contacted the investigating officer to ask why Victor remained in custody so long and whether police had an account of events differing from the family’s. The officer reportedly confirmed only that he was aware of the case, without addressing the substance of the inquiry.
Shortly afterwards and, the family notes, almost immediately following RULAAC’s intervention, police informed Caleb Ude that his son was being taken to court. With little notice to arrange counsel, the family turned to RULAAC, which connected them with Barrister Chinedu Agu.
By the time Agu reached the courtroom, Victor had already entered his plea, though counsel was able to argue for bail once the prosecution sought his remand.
Victor appeared before the Magistrate Court of Imo State, Owerri Magisterial District, in Charge No. OW/1418,/C/2026, with the Commissioner of Police as complainant, before His Worship A. Ariche. He faces five counts under Section 24(2)(a) and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 (as amended in 2024), one count alleging threatening communication toward Magistrate Opara, and four more tied to social media posts questioning her professional conduct and personal life.
Magistrate Ariche denied bail, ruling the court lacked jurisdiction over an offence triable only by the Federal High Court, and ordered Victor remanded to correctional custody.
Barrister Agu says he pressed the court on statutory remand requirements and confirms the proceeding followed the applicable procedure under Sections 225 and 226 of Imo State’s Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2020.
With courts now on annual vacation until October, Victor’s path to a bail hearing is uncertain unless a vacation court intervenes.
The sequence prolonged unexplained detention, a rushed arraignment following outside scrutiny, and a Magistrate Court proceeding it had no jurisdiction to resolve has prompted calls for the police to clarify several points: the legal basis for holding Victor before arraignment; why bail efforts failed at the station level; why the case moved forward so quickly after RULAAC’s questions; why the family received minimal notice; and whether the allegations were independently investigated rather than acted on solely at the request of a sitting judicial officer.
Observers note the underlying complainant’s dual role as both a church-affiliated figure in the original dispute and a Magistrate adds weight to calls for independent review, though they caution that establishing any misuse of police power for personal ends would require further evidence.
Victor remains in correctional custody. Advocates say the immediate priorities are securing the full case file, determining whether any court order justified his pre-arraignment detention, assessing the charges’ legal footing, and pursuing an urgent bail application potentially through a vacation court pending the courts’ resumption in October.
