The Nigerian government has began the trial of a blogger, Victor Ibezim, who alleged that former Works and Housing Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola, wrote the judgments of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) that dismissed the petitions of the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Court had dismissed the petitions of the candidates of the LP, Peter Obi, and that of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu.
The blogger, Ibezim, who was alleged to be one of the three persons linked to the publications, was arraigned before Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of a Federal High Court, Abuja on a six-count charge.
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The amended charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/434/2023 and dated October 17, 2023, was filed October 18, 2023 by the Inspector-General (IGP) of Police.
Ibezim, who is the sole defendant, is charged with criminal conspiracy, cyber stalking, defamation, among others.
Justice Olajuwon had fixed April 15 for continuation of trial.
In the charge, Ibezim with Jackson Udeh, Nnamdi Emmanuel Ibezim and Reportera.ng (body corporate) now at large on or about August 5, 2023 in Abuja, were alleged to have committed the offence.
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They were alleged to have criminally conspired and jointly “agreed to publish a defamatory statement of false allegations in their online social media, the reportera.ng news, against His Excellency Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, CON, without justification.”
The offence is said to be punishable under Section 27(1)(b) of the Cyber-crime Prohibition, Prevention Act 2015, among other counts.
Cyberstalking involves the use of technology (most often, the Internet!) to make someone else afraid or concerned about their safety.
Generally speaking, this conduct is threatening or otherwise fear-inducing, involves an invasion of a person’s relative right to privacy, and manifests in repeated actions over time.
Most of the time, those who cyberstalk use social media, Internet databases, search engines, and other online resources to intimidate, follow, and cause anxiety or terror to others.
