A 19-year-old blogger has been arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos over allegations of cyberstalking, online harassment, and defamatory social media posts targeting billionaire businessman and UBA Chairman Tony Elumelu.
The defendant, Nurenorue Surpruchi, was brought before Justice Ambrose Lewis Allagoa on Friday on a four-count charge filed by the police.
According to the prosecution, the charges border on conspiracy, cyberstalking, bullying, and defamation arising from content allegedly published on social media.
When the charges were read in court, Surpruchi pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The prosecution, led by A.G. Obi of the Directorate of Legal Services, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, Lagos, told the court that the defendant and other persons still at large allegedly used a computer network to circulate false information concerning Elumelu on April 5.
Prosecutors argued that the publication was intended to harass, embarrass, and damage the reputation of one of Nigeria’s most prominent business figures.
During proceedings, prosecution counsel informed the court that the defendant’s bail application had only been served earlier in the day and requested additional time to file a response.
The prosecution subsequently asked the court to remand the defendant pending the hearing of the bail application and to fix a trial date.
Defence counsel A. Edoh confirmed that the bail application had indeed just been served on the prosecution and urged the court to grant a short adjournment to allow both parties to address the application properly.
Following submissions from both sides, Justice Lewis Allagoa adjourned the matter until June 19 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.
One of the allegations in the charge concerns a post allegedly published on the X account @probleiemchimkyi.
According to the prosecution, the account published claims alleging that Tony Elumelu had divorced his wife, Awele Elumelu, following DNA tests that supposedly showed none of their seven children belonged to him.
The prosecution maintains that the claims were false and were deliberately designed to damage Elumelu’s reputation and subject him to public ridicule.
Authorities said the alleged offences violate provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended, as well as relevant sections of the Criminal Code Act.
The case follows an earlier statement issued by United Bank for Africa in May, when the bank publicly dismissed social media reports claiming that Tony Elumelu’s marriage had collapsed.
In the statement, UBA described the allegations as false, malicious, and defamatory.
The bank’s Group Head of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Communication, Alero Ladipo, announced that three individuals had already been arrested in connection with the circulation of the claims.
Those identified by the bank included Kingsley Akunemeihe, also known as @Directorkem, Chigozie Ihebom, and John Nwanorue, who was reportedly linked to the account @problemchimky.
UBA further stated that investigations were ongoing and warned that legal action would continue against individuals, blogs, websites, and platforms found to have published or amplified the allegations.
The latest court proceedings highlight the growing legal risks surrounding misinformation, cyber harassment, and defamatory content on social media platforms.
As Nigerian authorities increasingly crack down on online misconduct, the case is expected to draw significant attention from both legal observers and digital content creators concerned about the boundaries between free expression and potentially unlawful online publications.
For now, Surpruchi remains in custody as the court prepares to hear arguments on his bail application later this month.
