Public interest lawyer , Inibehe Effiong has tutored Nigerian Police Public Relation Office over his comments on Twitter now X
The controversy began when the police spokesperson posted a picture frame of the past Inspectors-General of Police in the country to celebrate them
Adejobi captioned the frame, “Former and current indigenous IGPs in Nigeria. We celebrate you all (living and late)”
But responding, a user identified as Lord Drey tweeting as @HommiesDrey described the former IGPs as “Living and late criminals from the most corrupt civil organisation in the entire multiverse.”
Responding, the force spokesman wrote, “You will repeat it with evidence soon. It’s a matter of time.”
When tagged further by another user on the platform, Adejobi said Lord Drey “needs to prove that all the past IGPs are corrupt or criminals. It’s a simple thing.”
He wrote, “He should know that the only court that has jurisdiction over the Cybercrime Prohibition Act (Offences) is the Federal High Court. You gerrit?”
In another tweet, Adejobi wrote, “We need to understand that many Nigerians are not aware or deliberately claim to be ignorant of the law against cyberstalking or cyberbullying or fake news, most especially the Cybercrime Prohibition Act of 2015.
“We always like to wade in sentiments when the law is being enforced. It’s high time we faced the reality. Many victims of cyberstalking and the like are now aware of the act, and they are ready to pursue their cases. Simple.”
Meanwhile, responding to the FPRO’s threat
public interest lawyer, Inibehe Effiong said It is disgraceful that the Force PRO has been alluding to a law that no longer exist in Nigeria.
The provisions of the infamous Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2015 that the police has been using to harass Nigerians has been repealed by the National Assembly and replaced with a radically different and new provision.
The amended Act was assented to by President Tinubu in February 2024.
Under the new Act, posts which are injurious to a person’s reputation is no longer a crime. The new Act limits the offence of cyberstalking to messages sent by means of a computer which are:
(a) pornographic;
(b) a threat to the life of another; or
(c) likely to lead to a breakdown of law and order.
In this specific case, the post made by this individual is neither pornographic, life threatening nor capable of leading to a breakdown of law and order.
By virtue of Section 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution, an act or omission is only an offence if it so defined expressly in a written law.
Nigerians should ignore the Force PRO.
