In a judgment delivered by Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos, blogger Adewale Ajimisogbe was formally convicted for cyberbullying and defamation against Dr. Daniel Olukoya, General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM).
The conviction followed Ajimisogbe’s entry into a plea bargain agreement with the Nigeria Police, pursuant to which he pleaded guilty to all charges preferred against him.
Ajimisogbe and co-defendant Ayotunde Richards, a former MFM member, were initially arraigned on March 20, 2024, on a 12-count charge including conspiracy, cyberstalking, and criminal defamation.
While both defendants were jointly charged with three counts relating to conspiracy and cyberstalking, Ajimisogbe faced an additional nine counts of libel as a sole defendant.
Both defendants, Ajimisogbe and Richards, were charged with three joint counts of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and defamation. However, Ajimisogbe alone faced an additional nine counts of libel. According to Police Prosecutor Nosa Uhumwangho, these offences occurred between December 2023 and February 2024.
Uhumwangho informed the court that Ajimisogbe, through his blog “Postreporters,” published a defamatory article titled: “He is a criminal and behind all illegal acts – Ex-MFM Church singer sues founder Daniel Olukoya and others, seeks N15.5bn in damages for illegal detention and breach of human rights.”
The prosecutor further stated that the article contravened Sections 27 and 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, which address offences related to cyberbullying, defamation, and online harm.#newsafro_
