Arrested Twitter User Has Been Released

On Friday, a Nigerian Twitter user, Nnamdi Chude, was released from police custody after being detained for six days.

Chude had been arrested following a petition by Emeka Offor, a Nigerian oil magnate, over alleged defamation of character.

Chude, who is a supporter of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, was accused of making defamatory remarks about Offor in a tweet.

He was first arrested by the Anambra State Cybersecurity Police unit in Onitsha and was taken to various detention facilities, including the notorious Awkuzu police station in Anambra State, and the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja.

Chude confirmed that he was arrested for allegedly defaming Offor in a tweet where he claimed that President-elect, Mr Bola Tinubu, had called Offor to plead with Obi to accept a “rigged result”. Chude was supposed to have been released on Wednesday after his lawyer had perfected his bail condition, but an executive order from the Inspector General of Police reportedly extended his detention.

The police had earlier issued a press statement alleging that Chude violated Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 and other criminal laws, and that he was being investigated by the Force National Cyber Crime Centre.

The police also claimed that a prima facie case had been established against Chude and that his case file had been forwarded to the Force Legal Department for further action.