The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has confirmed the arrest of one Chike Ibezim, an entrepreneur, following a petition by Babatunde Fashola, former minister of works.
In a statement on Sunday, September 3, NPF’s spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed that Chike has a case to answer over alleged “malicious publication, cyberbullying, and other related offences”, adding that his detention came after a court order.
Adejobi said:
“Contrary to speculations, we affirm that Mr. Chike is in lawful custody based on a court order, and his detention is in connection with a prima facie case of malicious publication, cyberbullying, and other related offences that are still under investigation by the police,” the statement reads.
“The arrest and detention of individuals are carried out in strict adherence to legal procedures and respect for individual rights.
“In this case, a court order was obtained following a thorough investigation, which established an indictment on Mr Chike, who has given useful information and is assisting the police in the course of their investigation.”
Back in August, Chike was reportedly arrested by some police officers in Abuja, after Babatunde Fashola, a former minister of works, wrote a petition against him about a report published by Nnamdi Ibezim, his elder brother.
The report alleged that Fashola was drafting the presidential election tribunal verdict that would be handed to judges, a claim he denied, and went ahead to petition the inspector-general of police (IGP) for defamation.
