Justice Nicholas Oweibo of Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday convicted and sentenced social medial influencer, Okoye Blessing Nwakaego to 3 years imprisonment for social media bulling of a popular actress Eniola Badmus.
The court however gave her an option of N150, 000 fine.
Okoye Nwakaego pleaded guilty to the two-count charge when it was read to her.
According to the charge, the convict and one Chimabia (now at large) were said to have in the month of December 2022 to the month of July 2023 in Lagos conspired to commit felony to wit: cyber stalking and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 27 of the Cybercrimes (prohibition, prevention, ETC) Act 2015.
Blessing Nwakaego and Chimabia were also said to have knowingly cause the transmission of a communication via Tiktok, gossipmill tv, remedy blog and other social media network, with her mobile line number: 09125225742, which is grossly offensive, false and for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, needless anxiety to the prejudice of one Eniola Badmus and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(c) of the Cybercrimes (prohibition prevention, ETC) Act, 2015.
Following the reading of the charge and Blessing’s plea of guilt, the prosecutor, Mr. Nosa Watson Uhumwangho pleaded with the court to review the facts of the case.
Reviewing the fact of the case, the prosecutor, told the court that Blessings in her confessional statement to the police said she made the video following the prompt by a male friend.
“Blessing said a friend who claimed to know Eniola Badmus narrated the false story to her and that she in turn, narrated the story to a male friend Chimabia ( now at large), who asked her to do a video of the false story line that Eniola Badmus specialises in introducing young Nigerian girls to men.”
Blessing said after making the video, Chimabia gave her N200, 000 and asked her to post it on her Tiktok from where other platforms copied it.
Nosa said over three million viewers viewed the maligning video online.
He tendered the petition written by Eniola Badmus asking the police to investigate the matter and bring those behind the falsehood to book.
Blessing statement was also tendered and admitted in evidence.
The prosecutor then urged the court to convict the defendant as charged and pass appropriate sentence.
However, counsel to the convict, pleaded with the court to temper Justice with mercy, adding that the convict is a first time offender, who did not waste the time of the court.
He also inform the court that the convict has been remorseful as she had already pull down the offensive video and promised never to involved in such act.
After listening to the allocutus by the convict’s counsel, Justice Oweibo in his ruling sentence Okoye Blessing Nwakaego to three years imprisonment on the two count charge or a fine of N150,000.
The charges read ‘’That you, Okoye Blessing Nwakaego ‘f’ and, one Chimabia now at large, between the month of December 2022 to the month of July, 2023, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, did conspire with one Chimabia (surname unknown) to commit felony to wit: cyber stalking and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27 of the Cybercrimes (prohibition, prevention, ETC) Act, 2015.
’That you, Okoye Blessing Nwakaego ‘f and one Chimabia now at large, between the month of December 2022 to the month of July, 2023, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, did knowingly cause the transmission of a communication via Tiktok, gossipmill TV, remedy blog and other social media network, with your mobile line no. 09125225742 which is grossly offensive, false and for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience danger, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred and needless anxiety to the prejudice of one Eniola Badmus and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(c) of the Cybercrimes (prohibition prevention, ETC) Act, 2015.
