A 19-year-old blogger, Nwanorue John Surpruchi, has been remanded by a Federal High Court in Lagos over allegations of publishing false and defamatory content about the Chief Executive Officer of the United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu.
Surpruchi was arraigned on Friday on a four-count charge bordering on cyberstalking and criminal intimidation.
According to the police, the defendant allegedly used his X account, @PROBLElEMCHIMKYI, to publish a post claiming that Elumelu had divorced his wife after discovering through a DNA test that none of his seven children were biologically his.
The prosecution alleged that the defendant and others currently at large conspired to use a computer system and network to disseminate false and injurious information against the businessman, an offence punishable under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended).
The charge further stated that Surpruchi knowingly transmitted the message through the social media platform with the intent to cause annoyance, inconvenience, hatred, ill will and criminal intimidation to Elumelu and his family.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Counsel to the prosecution, A.G. Obi of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, informed the court that she had only received the defendant’s bail application on Friday morning and would require time to review the documents and file a response.
She subsequently asked the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility pending the hearing of the bail application and requested a date for the commencement of trial.
In response, defence counsel Anslem Etoh appealed for a short adjournment to allow for the hearing of the bail application.
Following submissions from both parties, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa ordered that the defendant be remanded and adjourned the case until June 19 for the hearing of the bail application.
