The Federal Government has initiated legal proceedings against nine individuals, filing a six-count charge related to the dissemination of false information concerning rumors about the impeachment of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The charge, labeled FHC/ABJ/CR/555/2024, was submitted to a Federal High Court in Abuja on October 21 by A. A. Yusuf, Deputy Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation.
According to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the defendants are accused of publishing misleading information on October 16, claiming that the Department of State Services (DSS) had laid siege to the National Assembly to facilitate Akpabio’s impeachment.
The lawsuit targets the Incorporated Trustee of Order Paper, where the false information was allegedly disseminated, along with its Founder/Publisher and Executive Director Oke Epia and Head of Operations Tony Okeke Ofodile, designated as the 1st to 3rd defendants.
Additional defendants include Edna Bill Ulaeto (Admin/Finance Executive), Elizabeth Atime (National Assembly lead reporter), Regina Udo (Coordinator of Programmes), Leah Twaki (Social Media Executive), Idongesit Joseph Ekoh (Admin Support), and Edoesomi Sharon Omonegho (National Assembly correspondent), identified as the 4th to 9th defendants.
In the first count, the prosecution alleges that the Order Paper and its agents published false information on their online platform regarding the DSS’s supposed actions against the National Assembly. This act is said to contravene Section 24(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015, which outlines the offense and its associated penalties.
The second count accuses the defendants of intentionally publishing defamatory statements about the DSS and Senate President Akpabio on their platform. As of the report, the case has yet to be assigned to a judge.