The Police Command in Rivers State has arrested one David Obasi, alleged to be involved in cyberstalking and defamation of innocent individuals on social media.
SP Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesperson for the command told the News Agency of Nigeria that Obasi was accused of targeting victims by falsely branding them scammers, posting their photographs online, and subsequently demanding money from them as a condition for removing the defamatory posts.
She stated that Obasi’s apprehension followed a petition dated June 17, submitted by the legal counsel of Mr John Adekola, a Nigerian, based abroad, and popularly known as @McPhils_ on his social media platforms.
According to Iringe-Koko, Obasi had tagged Adekola a scammer on his X (formerly Twitter) account, despite having no prior acquaintance or business dealings with him.
“Shortly after receiving the complaint, officers from the Police Area Command in Choba acted, tracked, and arrested Obasi on August 1, in Port Harcourt.
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“The suspect is currently in police custody, and an investigation into the matter is ongoing,” she confirmed.
NAN reports that the defamatory content, allegedly posted by Obasi against Adekola and two others, has since been deleted from the suspect’s account identified as @boymanagerO on X.
Before it was removed, the post read: ‘Scammer alert. Watch out for @McPhils_. Don’t sell accounts to them. They take your account and block you. Be warned.”
A petition, stamped and filed by Adekola’s legal representative, Mr Ibukun Ahisu, accused Obasi of criminal conduct and defamation.
Ahisu asserted that Obasi posted Adekola’s photograph online and made direct, false accusations, branding him a scammer without any evidence, justification, or due diligence.
“Our client has never had any transaction and has never engaged in the sale or purchase of social media accounts with Obasi.
“Even the phone number referenced in the alleged chats does not belong to our client,” the lawyer clarified.
He noted that the suspect’s actions violate the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015, punishable by up to a N7 million in fine, three years imprisonment, or both.
The petitioner further demanded that Obasi retract the defamatory post, provide a video apology, and desist from circulating any further malicious content targeting Adekola.
“Should Obasi fail to comply within 12 hours, we will sue for defamation and reputational damage, file a criminal complaint, and report the matter to X,” the letter concluded.
Following the suspect’s arrest, NAN sighted messages of apology purportedly sent by Obasi via the victim’s X account, in which he pleaded for forgiveness.
In his remarks, Prince Wiro, National Coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, condemned the trend of online defamation and extortion.
He urged young people to reject fraudulent practices and pursue lawful means of livelihood.
He expressed concern over the increasing number of cases where scammers falsely accuse innocent individuals on social media in a bid to extort money.
“They make fraudulent accusations against their targets, and when the victims reach out in an attempt to clear their name, they are pressured to pay in exchange for deleting the post.
“This is the new tactics scammers have adopted, and the Police must ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice and prosecuted accordingly,” he stated.
Wiro called on social media users to be vigilant against such tactics and to promptly report such incidents to the police.
