Activist Omoyele Sowore has called for the release of three young people arrested over social media posts containing false claims about the family of business leader Tony Elumelu.
The dispute began in early April when a group dubbed "banger boys" circulated unverified posts alleging that Elumelu had divorced his wife Awele following DNA tests that supposedly showed none of their seven children were his.
One of the posts also falsely claimed their eldest daughter, Oge, was HIV-positive and included a fabricated medical report.
Three individuals were arrested from 18 April, including 18-year-old Kingsley Chinanwu Akunemeihe, who was detained shortly after sitting his UTME exam.
His sister, Ngozi, later appealed for his release after he deleted the post and issued an apology.
On 5 May, Sowore demanded the youths' freedom, arguing that Elumelu is a public figure and drawing parallels with similar cases handled differently abroad.
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| Tony Elumelu. |
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According to him, the arrests stirred doubts about free speech and due process.
However, social commentator VeryDarkMan countered that spreading forged documents is a criminal offence in Nigeria, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
He maintained that the arrests were necessary to prevent the public from believing the false claims.
"The guy’s actions could lead to up to 14 years imprisonment for both forgery of documents and damages.
"If Tony Elumelu had not taken this route, people would have believed the story to be true.
"So, what exactly is Omoyele Sowore encouraging? Sowore, when you f!ght for everything, you f!ght for nothing," he said.
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