The police spokesperson in Lagos State, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said a blogger identified as Stanley will be prosecuted for allegedly defaming a businessman, Mr Emeka Okonkwo, AKA E-Money, in his online video.
Hundeyin disclosed this on Monday, while parading the suspect before newsmen at the command’s headquarters, Ikeja.
The image maker said that the command received a petition from E-Money about the offensive video, stressing that a crack squad of the command, who swung into action for investigation, arrested the 24-year-old suspect at Uromi in Edo.
“He is going to be prosecuted because the things he engaged in were criminal in nature. He has allegedly defamed E-Money and he is going to be prosecuted.
“We are not prosecuting the suspect because of the personality involved, but because he has allegedly committed crime, the personality goes through the normal channel by reporting the case to the police and we investigated and arrested the suspect.
“If one is defamed and you only talk about it on social media, you have not reported the case yet to the Police, it doesn’t work that way. The best thing to do is report at any police division, area command or police headquarters, we will take it up,” he said.
Hundeyin warned social media users against causing injury to others with their contents, stressing that action may be taken against them if reports of their contents were found offensive by anyone.
He noted that every action has consequences, stressing that the moment false information goes out to the public, a report from a willing complainant, ready to prosecute the offender, the police will bring such a fellow to justice.
Speaking to newsmen on the sidelines of the parade, the suspect admitted making the said video to boost his page’s followership level.
He also said that all that he said concerning E-Money in the video were not true.
“I did a video about E-Money. I said a lot of things that are not true in that video, that is why the police arrested me.
“I said something regarding a video I saw online about a woman – saying that Sir E-Money is responsible for the things that happened to Nollywood actor John Odonwodo, aka Junior Pope’s case.
“I said something like that, I also said that Sir E-Money was also having an affairs with Junior Pope’s wife. I have never in my life met E-Money. Everything I made in that video was not true.
“I made the video out of trying to boost my page traffic level, I never knew it will go viral the way it went. I don’t have bad intention to tarnish Sir E-Money’s name. I was just making the video, I didn’t know it will go such wide.
“I know the contents of the video were wrong of me to have made. I don’t know the video will escalate to that extent,” he said.