The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted a blogger, Adewale Ajimisogbe, for cyberbullying and libel against the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Daniel Olukoya.
Before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, Ajimisogbe pleaded guilty to the charge following a plea bargain agreement he entered into with the police.
He, along with a former MFM member, Ayotunde Richards, were arraigned before the court on March 20, 2024, on a 12-count charge of conspiracy, cyberbullying, and libel.
While the two defendants were jointly charged on three counts of conspiracy to commit felony to wit, cyberstalking, and defamation, Ajimisogbe was slammed with an additional nine counts of libel.
The police prosecutor, Nosa Uhumwangho, informed the court that the alleged offences occurred between December 2023 and February 2024.
Uhumwangho stated that Ajimisogbe, using a blogging platform called “Postreporters,” published a report with the title, “He is a criminal and behind all illegal acts – Ex-MFM Church singer sues founder Daniel Olukoya and others, seeks N15.5 billion in damages for illegal detention and breach of human rights”.
The prosecutor asserted that the actions violated Sections 27 and 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(i) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, making them punishable under the same law.
Both defendants initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, Ajimisogbe later changed his plea after realising the strength of the evidence against him.
