Proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday turned dramatic as two lawyers clashed over legal representation for social media personality, Chidiebere Justice Mark, popularly known as “Justice Crack,” during the hearing of his bail application.
The dispute created a setback for the defendant’s bail request after lawyers Femi Balogun and Marshall Abubakar both announced appearances for the same client before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
Justice Crack is currently facing trial over alleged cybercrime offences linked to a viral video concerning the Nigerian Army. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/253/2026, was initially instituted by the Department of State Services before it was later taken over by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
At the resumed hearing, government counsel Leyii Abueh informed the court that the Attorney-General of the Federation had assumed responsibility for prosecuting the matter in accordance with relevant legal provisions.
Trouble, however, began when Balogun informed the court that he had been briefed by the defendant’s family to handle the case and pursue the bail application already before the court.
Abubakar objected, insisting that he remained the defendant’s counsel of record and had not been formally disengaged from the matter.
In a bid to resolve the disagreement, Justice Abdulmalik asked the defendant to identify his preferred lawyer. Mark subsequently identified Balogun as his counsel.
Following the development, Abubakar applied to withdraw all processes he had earlier filed on behalf of the defendant, including the pending bail application.
The court subsequently struck out the applications filed by Abubakar and adjourned the matter until May 18 for hearing of a fresh bail application.
Justice Crack had earlier pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge bordering on alleged dissemination of false information capable of causing public unrest through posts made on his X account, @JusticeCrack.
The prosecution alleged that the defendant published misleading claims suggesting Nigerian soldiers were poorly fed, an action authorities said could undermine public confidence in the military.
