The Chief Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 2, has issued summonses to five social media users for allegedly defaming the reputation of gospel singer Mercy Chinwo and her husband, Blessed Uzochikwa.
Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna ordered the defendants, named as Okoronkwo Ejike, Kingsley Ibeh, DJ Spoiltkid, Terrence Ekot, and Samuel Agozie, to appear in court on April 23, 2024, in response to charges of criminal defamation.
The allegations stem from posts made by the defendants last week, following Mercy Chinwo and her husband’s unveiling of their son on social media.
The defendants, claiming resemblance between the child and another gospel singer, Nathaniel Bassey, alleged he was the father, sparking a viral controversy.
In a criminal complaint, Mercy Chinwo and her husband’s legal representatives cited cyber intimidation, injurious falsehood, and cyberstalking, asserting that the defendants’ actions violated penal and cybercrimes laws.
The “individuals criminally injured the reputation and image of the complainants across the globe resulting from their intentional defamatory posts and an act of cyberstalking,” Channels TV quoted the lawyers to have said.
Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna directed the defendants to address the charges during the scheduled court appearance.
Meanwhile, as earlier reported by MUK, Nathaniel Bassey, through his legal team, petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, seeking investigation and prosecution of four individuals—Okoronkwo Ejike, Kingsley Ibeh, Terrence Ekot, and DJ Spoiltkid—for similar offenses of criminal defamation and cyberstalking.
Bassey’s lawyers decried the far-reaching consequences of such allegations on individuals’ reputations and urged the IGP to ensure justice and serve as a deterrent to future offenses.
