Man arrested and detained for 26 days after his brother shared a defamatory post on X against former Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola (video)

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has announced its intention to arraign Chike Ibezim, an entrepreneur and the younger sibling of Nnamdi Ibezim, the publisher of Reportera News, on charges of cyber-stalking, cyber-bullying, and conspiracy.

Chike’s arrest took place on August 10, following the publication of an article on the news platform owned by Nnamdi Ibezim. The article claimed that former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, was involved in drafting the presidential election tribunal verdict that would be presented to judges. Fashola promptly denied these allegations and lodged a complaint with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) regarding the “defamatory” report.

In response to a report submitted by Priory Terrace Solicitors on behalf of Fashola, Nigerian Police Investigators, operating under the Force Intelligence Bureau, conducted an extensive inquiry into the matter. Their investigation revealed that the suspect had made a false publication through his social media handle, @ReporteraNews, on the platform ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter) on Saturday, August 5.

According to the post, Fashola was allegedly involved in the “drafting” of a controversial verdict in the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, and it also claimed that the military had been deployed to his residence to restrict movement. The police assert that this post was intended to cast aspersions on the character of the former Minister, a violation of Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015. Such actions have the potential to “cause harm, distress, and damage to his reputation, as well as posing great threats to national security and the stability of our dear country.”

Addressing the media in Abuja, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, Muyiwa Adejobi, revealed that a technical and tactical analysis of the phone number used for the contentious publication indicated that it was registered to one Chike Ibezim.

Adejobi stated, “Armed with this intelligence, police investigators proceeded to the office address of the suspect in Maitama, Abuja, where Chike Ibezim was arrested, while Nnamdi Emmanuel Ibezim and one Tope, who is alleged to handle all social media correspondences, are currently at large and have not responded to invitations from the Nigeria Police Force. Therefore, the Nigeria Police Force declares that their focus is now on other individuals implicated in this case and similar cases for potential arrest and prosecution.”

Furthermore, the NPF emphasized that cyber-stalking and other cyber-related misconduct are criminal activities that can incite unrest and chaos in society. They warned against the spread of fake news and cyber-stalking, stressing that these trends must be discouraged for the sake of the nation’s welfare and stability.

In response to inquiries from the media, Chike Ibezim expressed that he has no knowledge of his brother’s whereabouts. He clarified that the phone number used to share the disputed post on platform ‘X’ belongs to his startup business, and he was unaware of when his brother accessed it for posting.