Yoruba activist, Adeyinka Grandson has been sentenced to 4 and a half years in prison.
He was convicted of inciting racial hatred for posting messages on social media encouraging violence in Nigeria has been jailed.
The British Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command launched an investigation in March 2019 as a direct result of members of the public raising concerns to police about online social media posts which contained comments aimed at particular ethnic groups based in Nigeria.
The posts were created by accounts under the name “Adeyinka Grandson” and were reported to police
He was investigated by specialist officers within the Met’s Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU).
After assessing some of his content on social media, which contained commentary encouraging attacks against certain ethnic groups in Nigeria, officers determined these posts were potentially in breach of UK legislation and a formal investigation was launched.
The activity was all found to be linked to Grandson whose real names are Adeyinka Shoyemi.
Shoyemi was found guilty on 30 November 2021 of eight counts of inciting racial hatred after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.
Commander Richard Smith, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Our Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit – the first of its kind to be established anywhere in the world – was instrumental in identifying Shoyemi and his activity.
“Over the last ten years, the CTIRU has been at the forefront of getting harmful content removed from the internet, and detecting and investigating potential terrorist-related activity online.
“We continue to need the help and support of the public and I would encourage anyone who comes across material or posts that could be related to terrorism or violent extremist activity to report it to us, so that our specialist officers can take action where necessary.”
