A lady identified as Okoye Blessing Nwakaego has been sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for cyberstalking Nollywood actress Eniola Badmus through the social media app, TikTok. Justice Nicholas Oweibo convicted Nwakaego after she pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of cyberstalking.
The judge, however, took into consideration the convict’s remorse and offered her an alternative to serving the jail term. She was given the option to pay a fine of N150,000 instead.
The charge against Nwakaego and an accomplice, Chimabia (who is currently at large), stated that they conspired between December 2022 and July 2023 to commit the offence. The duo knowingly transmitted false and offensive communication via TikTok, Gossipmill TV, Remedy Blog, and other social media networks using Nwakaego’s mobile number.
The content of the communication was described by the police as “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 Badmus.”
The cyberstalking case contravened sections 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(c) and 27 of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015.
During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Nosa Uhumwangho, presented the facts of the case to Justice Oweibo. Nwakaego admitted to making the video under the influence of a male friend, Chimabia. The friend allegedly narrated a false story about Eniola Badmus, claiming that she specialized in introducing young Nigerian girls to men.
Chimabia then asked Nwakaego to create a video of the false story, for which she was paid N200,000. The video was subsequently posted on her TikTok account, where it gained over three million views.
Cyberstalking is a serious offense, and this case serves as a reminder of the legal consequences of engaging in such harmful activities on social media platforms.
