The police on Friday arraigned a 19-year-old blogger, Nurenorue Surpruchi, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged cyberstalking and defamatory posts against the Chairman of United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu.
Surpruchi was arraigned before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cyberstalking, bullying and defamation.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
According to the prosecution, the defendant and others still at large allegedly conspired on April 5, 2026, to use a computer system and network 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, 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 charges be read to him for plea.
The charges were subsequently read, and the defendant pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Following the plea, Obi told the court that although the prosecution was ready to proceed with the matter, it had only just been served with the defendant’s bail application earlier in the day.
She said the prosecution would require time to study the application and file an appropriate response, urged the court to remand the defendant in the custody of the Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of the bail application.
The prosecutor also asked the court for a trial date.
Defence counsel, A. Edoh, confirmed that the bail application had only just been served on the prosecution and appealed for a short adjournment to enable the court to hear the application.
After listening to both parties, Justice Lewis-Allagoa adjourned the matter until June 19, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application.
The judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Correctional Service.
In one of the counts, the prosecution alleged that the defendant used an X account identified as “@PROBLElEMCHIMKYI,” allegedly registered in his name, to publish false and offensive statements claiming that Elumelu had divorced his wife after discovering through DNA tests that none of his seven children belonged to him.
The prosecution further alleged that the publication, which reportedly garnered about 1.9 million views, 1,600 reposts, 6,300 likes and over 600 saves, was intended to bully, threaten and harass the UBA chairman, thereby injuring his reputation and exposing him to public ridicule.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences contravened Sections 24(1)(b), 24(2)(a) and 27(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended), as well as Sections 373 and 375 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
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