A Twitter user, Nnamdi Chude, was released on Friday after six days in police detention. His arrest followed a petition by Nigerian oil magnate Emeka Offor, who alleged that Chude had defamed his character. Chude, a staunch supporter of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, was held in several facilities, including the former Special Anti‑Robbery Squad station in Awkuzu, Anambra State, and the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja.
Chude told our correspondent, who was posing as an undercover journalist during a visit to the FCID, that he was arrested on 18 March by the Anambra State Cybersecurity Police unit in Onitsha. He was first taken to the Anambra State Criminal Investigative Department in Awka (the former Awkuzu SARS), where he says he was detained and allegedly tortured. The next day he was covertly transported by road to Enugu Airport and flown to the FCID in Abuja.
According to Chude, the petition filed by Offor accused him of defamation because of a tweet posted on 13 March. In the tweet, Chude wrote: “So @officialABAT called Emeka Offor to beg Peter Obi to accept the rigged result. If he is sure the people voted for APC and he won the election, why is he running around pleading with everyone to help beg Peter Obi to accept the result?” The police showed him the petition, which claimed the tweet defamed Offor.
While in detention, Chude said the authorities asked him to provide evidence to support his tweet, which he could not produce. He expected to be released on Wednesday after his lawyer secured bail, which required a Level 16 civil servant to act as surety. However, he was informed that an executive order from the Inspector General of Police had instructed the FCID to keep him detained.
Earlier, after online agitation over his whereabouts, the police issued a press statement on Wednesday confirming that a petition had been filed against Chude for allegedly violating Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 and other criminal laws. The Force National Cyber Crime Centre was investigating the matter, and a prima facie case had been established. The case file had been forwarded to the Force Legal Department for further action.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, released a statement confirming the arrest. He said Chude, whose Twitter handle is @chude__, was arrested in Onitsha on 18 March 2023 and is being investigated by the NPF‑NCCC Abuja for cyber‑stalking, in violation of Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act 2015 and other criminal statutes.
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