•Police say viral X post falsely claimed UBA chairman’s seven children failed DNA test
Wale Igbintade
The Nigeria Police yesterday arraigned a 19-year-old blogger, Nurenorue John Surpruchi, before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos over alleged cyberstalking, bullying and defamation of the Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr. Tony Elumelu.
Surpruchi was arraigned before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cyberstalking and publication of alleged defamatory statements against the prominent businessman and his family.
According to the Police, the defendant and others said to be at large allegedly used a computer system and social media platform to disseminate false and injurious information against Elumelu.
When the matter came up for arraignment, prosecution counsel, A.G. Obi, from the Directorate of Legal Services, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos, informed the court that the prosecution had filed a four-count charge against the defendant and urged the court to direct that the charge be read for the defendant to take his plea.
Following the reading of the charge, Surpruchi pleaded not guilty to all the counts preferred against him.
After the plea was taken, the prosecutor told the court that the prosecution was ready to proceed with the matter.
She, however, disclosed that she had only just been served with the defendant’s motion for bail earlier in the day and would require time to study the application and file an appropriate response.
Obi subsequently urged the court to remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the hearing and determination of the bail application.
She also asked the court for a trial date.
Counsel to the defendant, A. Edoh, confirmed that a bail application had indeed been filed and appealed to the court for a short adjournment for the hearing of the application.
After listening to submissions from both counsel, Justice Alagoa adjourned the matter until June 19, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application.
The court also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending further proceedings in the case.
In the first count, the Police alleged that Surpruchi and others now at large conspired on or about April 5, 2026, to commit cyberstalking by agreeing to use a computer system and network to disseminate false information against Elumelu, contrary to Section 27(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended).
The prosecution further alleged in the second count that the defendant knowingly sent and caused to be sent through a Twitter (X) account allegedly registered in his name, a message said to be false, grossly offensive and menacing.
The alleged publication claimed that Elumelu had divorced his wife following a DNA discovery purportedly showing that none of his seven children belonged to him biologically.
According to the charge, the publication was allegedly made with intent to cause annoyance, inconvenience, insult, hatred, ill will and criminal intimidation against the UBA chairman and his family, contrary to Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act.
In count three, the Police alleged that the defendant knowingly disseminated the same information through a computer system and network, despite allegedly knowing it to be false.
The prosecution claimed that the publication gained massive traction online, attracting approximately 1.9 million views, about 1,600 reposts, 6,300 likes and more than 600 saves on the social media platform.
The Police alleged that the publication was intended to bully, threaten or harass Elumelu and that it caused injury to his reputation and exposed him to public ridicule, contrary to Section 24(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes Act.
In the fourth count, Surpruchi was accused of publishing defamatory matters concerning Elumelu and his family through a Twitter platform, which allegedly exposed them to hatred, ridicule and contempt in the eyes of members of the public.
The alleged offence was said to be contrary to Sections 373 and punishable under Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
