A cybercrime and criminal defamation case pending before a Federal High Court Abuja has stalled, for the third time, over absence vof the defendant, a Kano-based cleric, Sheikh Adam Zubair Adam (Baffa Hotoro).
Mr Hotoro is standing trial over an alleged criminal defamation of the late Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi and Sheikh Munir Adam Koza.
The court has fixed 19 October 2026 — for the third time — for the arraignment of the cleric.
The Kano cleric is facing a two -count charge under the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024) in a case No. FHC/ABJ/CR/87/2026.
The court, presided by Justice M.S Liman, had adjourned the case on three occasions primarily due to the non-appearance of Sheikh Hotoro for arraignment.
Mr Hotoro, who was arrested and granted bail earlier in February 2026, was to be arraigned at the Federal High Court Abuja on April 23, 2026, but he was not in court. The court fixed 21 May 2026 for arraignment.
When the case came up on 21 May, the defendant was absent from court and he did not send any legal representation. The case was then adjourned to 22 July 2026.
During the last sitting, Mr Hotoro was absent again. However, Mr Amos who appeared as his counsel, presented a medical report indicating that the defendant was indisposed and unable to attend court.
It was, however, observed that the cleric was reportedly active on social media and was seen on a Facebook livestream around the period of the court proceedings.
In view of the circumstances, efforts were made by the police to secure the attendance/arrest of the defendant but the efforts were unsuccessful.
The court further adjourned the matter to 19 October 2026 for the arraignment.
The Inspector General of Police is the complainant, with Sheikh Hotoro as the defendant.
Sheikh Hotoro is a Salafi cleric that carved a niche for himself in controversies that include attacking Sufi scholars and their venerated saints, as well as his fellow Wahabi clerics.
On 18 June 2024, Mr Hotoro made alleged slanderous and derogatory statements against the two Muslim scholars, swearing with God that they were polytheists and idolaters, who are Islamically banned from entering the Grand Mosque in Makkah (Ka’aba).
The cleric, who was heard boasting that he can defend himself in any court in Nigeria, is now surprisingly staying away from court purportedly to torpedo the legal proceedings.
Earlier on 19 May 2023, the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested Mr Hotoro following complaints from the public and the Kano State government over alleged derogatory comments against Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi. He was later seen in a video apologizing to the sheikh, his family and followers.
However, in November 2025 after the passing of the octogenarian scholar, Mr Hotoro was seen in another viral video — allegedly making derogatory statements against the late Islamic scholar again, which was said to be capable of causing sectarian violence that may disrupt national security.
After petitions from the family of the late sheikh and Mr Koza, Mr Hotoro was arrested again on February this year by the police. He was, however, granted bail.
The case was pursuant to petitions, dated July 19, 2024, and December 10, 2025, with Ref Nos: CC/CGA/NPF/013/Vol. 1/24 and CC/CGA/NPF/014/Vol. 1/25, were addressed to the Inspector of Police.
The petitions were filed by M. M. Nasir of the Compass Chambers, on behalf of Sheikh Koza and Malam Naziru Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, on behalf of the late cleric’s family.
This newspaper have spoken to many Muslim scholars from the Salafi sect in Kano, Abuja, Bauchi, Jos and Kaduna, among others, but none of them was sympathetic to the controversial Kano cleric. They said the legal proceedings must be allowed to take its full course so as to serve as deterrence to anyone whose stock in trade is attacking fellow clerics and causing communal tensions.
