In Lagos, the Federal High Court handed down a three-year imprisonment sentence to Okoye Blessing Nwakaego, a TikTok user, for cyberstalking Nollywood actress Eniola Badmus on the platform.
The court found Nwakaego guilty on two counts of cyberstalking, but due to her remorse, they offered an alternative of paying a N150,000 fine instead of serving time.
The charges were based on Nwakaego’s collaboration with an accomplice, Chimabia (currently at large), during the period between December 2022 and July 2023.
Together, they engaged in transmitting offensive and false communication via TikTok, Gossipmill TV, remedy blog, and other social media networks using Nwakaego’s mobile number, with the intention of causing annoyance, inconvenience, and harm to Eniola Badmus’ reputation.
During the proceedings, it was revealed that Nwakaego’s actions were prompted by a male friend who narrated a fabricated story about Eniola Badmus.
Subsequently, Nwakaego created the maligning video and received N200,000 from her friend as an incentive to post it on TikTok, attracting online viewers.
Nosa Uhumwangho acted as the prosecutor for the case, which violated sections 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(c) and 27 of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015.
Despite considering Nwakaego’s remorse, the court decided on a three-year imprisonment sentence, emphasizing the severity of cyberstalking and its consequences on victims like Eniola Badmus.
