The Federal Government has filed a six-count charge against nine individuals accused of spreading false information regarding an alleged impeachment move against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The charges, filed on October 21 at a Federal High Court in Abuja, were signed by A. A. Yusuf, Deputy Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation. The case, marked as FHC/ABJ/CR/555/2024, centres on the alleged publication of a misleading report on October 16.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the defendants allegedly published claims that the Department of State Services (DSS) had laid siege to the National Assembly to facilitate Akpabio’s impeachment. The lawsuit names the Incorporated Trustee of Order Paper, a media platform where the report was allegedly posted, along with Oke Epia, the platform’s founder and executive director, and Tony Okeke Ofodile, Head of Operations, as the primary defendants.
Additional defendants include Edna Bill Ulaeto, the administration and finance executive of Order Paper; Elizabeth Atime, a National Assembly reporter alleged to have authored the article; as well as four others affiliated with the platform. They are accused of actively participating in the dissemination of the impeachment rumour through their roles at Order Paper.
The charges specify that the publication claimed the DSS was involved in a plot to remove Akpabio, which the prosecution argues the defendants knew to be false. The alleged offence violates Section 24(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015, which criminalises the intentional spread of false information online.
In addition to the main defendants, the Federal Government has alleged that other unnamed individuals were involved in spreading the defamatory statements. This case is viewed as a test of Nigeria’s cybercrime laws and an example of the government’s efforts to address misinformation and protect public officials from unfounded claims.
