Nigerian gospel singer, Nathaniel Bassey, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate and prosecute some people for defamation of character.
For some days, several netizens have accused the ‘Jesus Iye’ of being the father of the son of his younger colleague Mercy Chinwo, who is married to Pastor Blessed Uzochikwa.
In his petition, Bassey got hold of four names and accused them of criminal defamation and cyberstalking. On April 1, 2024, the petition was submitted to the IGP through his lawyers, Peter Abraham, Uche Matthew, Gbenga Agunloye, and Anthony Abia.
The identified culprits in the petition are Okoronkwo Ejike, Kingsley Ibeh, Terrence Ekot, and Dj Spoiltkid.
The petition read in part: “Our client is a gospel music minister whose songs and ministrations have impacted the lives of so many from different walks of life across the globe.
“On Friday, the 29th day of March 2024, Mercy Chinwo Blessed another popular gospel music minister, and her husband posted pictures of their son and themselves on different social media platforms.
“However, our client was disheartened, saddened, and grossly disturbed to find that the above-mentioned suspects, as mischief makers with a criminal intent to destroy the image and character of our client, had made different social media posts of defamatory matter, calling our client ‘the father of minister Mercy Chinwo Blessed’s son,’ a woman who is married to another man.
“The post by Mr. Okoronkwo Ejike has since gone viral on the platform. In reaction to the post, Mr. Kingsley Ibeh commented on Mr. Okoronkwo’s post with a picture of our client with the caption “The real father of the baby.”
“In a post on the platform “X” formerly known as Twitter, “Dj SpoiltKid", a verified X user, quoted the statement by Okoronkwo Ejike along with a screenshot of the post and added, “When are we doing DNA test?”
“In another post, Mr. Terrence Ekot, on the platform “X” made a post thus: “Take a look at the stunning resemblance of Mercy Chinwo’s son and Nathaniel Bassey. Though duo has been working together on several projects in the past..what do you have to say?”
The lawyers noted that the acts of the culprits should be handled, if not, there will be a consistent attack on their client’s reputation.
The petition continued: “These nefarious acts of these suspects, if not immediately dealt with, will continue to destroy our client’s image, injure his reputation, assassinate his character, and cast aspersion on the good name built by our client over the years.”
According to the lawyers, the alleged actions of the four individuals contravened Sections 373 and 375 of the Criminal Code Act as well as Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.).
The petition read further: “The consequences of making such statements on social media have been known to tarnish the reputations of individuals, render marriages unstable, and many never recover from them. International reputation is an asset—both for the individual and for the nation—and it takes time to acquire.
“Consequently, we urge you to use your good offices to, in the interest of justice, investigate this matter, arrest, and bring the suspect to justice, which will serve as a deterrent to others.”
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