A Canadian-Nigerian woman, Amaka Sonnberger, arrested for making hate-motivated threats against the Nigerian community, has explained her actions.
Sonnberger, 46, was detained by Toronto Police on September 1 after receiving several complaints about her behaviour. During a TikTok live session on August 25, she threatened to poison Yoruba and Edo people in Canada, accusing them of lacking intelligence.
She stated that she intended to provoke the Igbo community in Canada to become more assertive and less passive. In a separate video, Sonnberger boasted about her Canadian citizenship, claiming it would prevent her deportation.
Following her arrest, Sonnberger was released after being questioned by authorities. In a YouTube interview posted by BattaBox on September 5, Sonnberger, who chose not to reveal her face for security reasons, explained that her threats were a response to the hateful comments she encountered on TikTok.
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Sonnberger described how, upon joining TikTok a few months prior, she was inundated with anti-Igbo sentiment, particularly from Bini and Yoruba users. She cited comments that falsely accused Igbos of various transgressions and even claimed that Igbos engage in cannibalism.
She expressed frustration with the misinformation and hostility directed towards her community, which she said prompted her to react aggressively.
She also pointed out that the most inflammatory remarks she encountered were from an individual named Kingsley, a Nigerian of Edo descent residing in Austria.
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