Canadian sisters facing charges in Nigeria reportedly miss court date

Two Canadian sisters in hot water abroad are believed to be in trouble yet again.

Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo were reportedly detained in Nigeria last month on multiple charges including extortion, blackmail and cyberbullying following an alleged incident involving billionaire Nigerian businessman Femi Otedola.

Now, the news website Politics Nigeria is reporting that the two women from Toronto failed to appear in a Nigerian court for a hearing Wednesday.

Their alleged accomplice, Babatunde Oyebode, showed up at the courthouse with his legal counsel and told the presiding judge that he did not know where the two women were, according to the publication.

• Canadian sisters accused of blackmailing apologize for their website in video

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The judge reportedly decided to issue a bench warrant for the Canadians and placed an order on their bail bonds agent to show cause for their absence. Politics Nigeria notes the case was transferred to the federal high court in Lagos and the matter has been postponed until March 1.

It’s unclear where the women are located at the moment but the website shared rumours that the two sisters allegedly fled the African country last week.

Politics Nigeria says laptops and tablets previously seized by Nigerian police showed the women had compromising pictures and videos of businessmen and politicians, which could still be in their possession.

The Canadians reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charges levied against them and published a video apologizing for two of their sexually-explicit gossip websites, which are no longer active.

In December 2016, Global Affairs Canada told the Toronto Star it was providing consular services to two Canadian citizens detained in Lagos, but would not provide any further details, citing privacy concerns.