The Concerned Christian Youths, a Christian body organisation, has claimed responsibility for the arrest and detention of some persons for cyberbullying and attacks on some Christian leaders in Nigeria.
Recall that the Nigeria Police had invited a former pastor-turned-atheist, Abraham Daniel, and one other person for using their social media platforms to troll some clerics.
However, a section of the media had attributed the arrest to an Abuja-based cleric.
The Christian group in a statement by its cordinator, James Paul Adama, has now confirmed that it is behind the petition that led to the invitation of the suspects by the police.
The statement reads below:
“Our attention has been drawn to some online publications purportedly claiming that some individuals were arrested by or at the instance of a certain revered man of God. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
“We would like to sensitize the public to treat such publications as egregiously malicious, inciteful and fallacious with the intention of swaying attention from the truth.
“The individuals in question are cyber bullies who have been attacking the Christian Faith and reputable Christian leaders in Nigeria. Those publications are being peddled by the same acrimonious agents in furtherance of their nefarious agenda against the Christian Faith and Christian leaders in Nigeria.
“The arrests were rather made by us, Concerned Christian Youths and Spiritual Sons of the Faith. And we invoked the relevant provisions of the Law against cybercrimes.
“The Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) ACT 2015 with the Amendment Act, 2024 have explicit, unambiguous provisions against cybercrimes, including cyber-bullying.
“Section 24 sub-section (1) provides that, “A person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other matter by means of computer systems or Network that –
(b) he knows to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another or causes such a message to be sent.
“Commits an offence under this Acts and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not more than 3 years…”
“Similarly, Section 24 Sub-section 2 provides that, “A person who knowingly or intentionally Transmits or causes the Transmission of any communication through a computer system or Network –
To bully, threaten or harass another person, where such communication places another person in fear of death, violence or bodily harm to another person;
(c) containing any threat to harm the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, to extort from any person, firm, association or corporation, any money or other thing of value, commits an offence under this Act, and is liable on conviction –
In the case of paragraph (a) and (b) of this sub-section, to imprisonment for a term of this sub-section, to imprisonment for a term of 10 years…, and,
In the case of paragraph (C) of this sub-section, to imprisonment for a term of 5 years…”
Following the provisions of this Act, the Nigerian Police Force in December 2024 declared cyberbullying as a criminal offence punishable by Law.
“Thus, the activities of the arrested individuals made them liable to prosecution and conviction under the provisions of this Act as highlighted above, and that is the reason for their arrest.
“Before this time, we have invoked the above provisions to arrest and press charges against a certain prophet who was picked up by the police from Lagos, and after having tasted the other side of the Law, he offered a public apology both in electronic and text forms and published same in reputable national dailies. This shows the extent to which we are ready to use the provisions of the Law to confront anyone who denigrates our Faith or attacks our fathers of faith. This is regardless of whether the cyberbully is a self-acclaimed clergy or a laity.
“We are not alone in this war against social media anarchy, brigandage and gangsterism.
“In July 2023, a social media influencer (Tiktoker), Okoye Blessing Nwakaego was sentenced by Justice Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos to 3 years imprisonment for engaging in cyberbullying a Nollywood actress, Eniola Badmus. “The police had accused the convict of conspiring between December 2022 and July 2023 to commit a felony, to wit: cyberstalking.
“The convict was also said to have knowingly caused the transmission of communication via Tiktok, gossip mill tv, remedy blog and other social media network, which is grossly offensive and false and to cause annoyance, inconvenience, danger, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, and needless anxiety to the prejudice of one Eniola Badmus.
“And away from Nigeria, in July 2021, a French court convicted 11 people charged with harassing and threatening via the internet, a teenager who harshly criticized a certain religion. The verdict was the first of its kind since France created a new Paris court in January to prosecute online crimes, including harassment and discrimination.
“The court sentenced the defendants to suspended prison terms of four to six months and fined them about $1,770 each.
“Across the globe, the hazards of social media, especially, cyberbullying have assumed a worrisome dimension.
“In Nigeria, it is even more worrisome as these attacks are targeted at the Christian Faith and her reputable leaders. Almost every content creator in Nigeria is using the mockery of Christianity and Christian leaders to ply their trade. This is denigrating, defamatory and blasphemous to Christianity, and therefore unacceptable. No genuine Christian can watch the mockery and denigration of Christianity as is being done in Nigeria with indifference.
‘The most vital part of every man’s existence is his faith or belief system. We find the foundation of our existence as Christians, and our hope for the future, both in this world and in the hereafter, threatened by the barrage of unwarranted attacks against our spiritual leaders.
“Most reputable leaders are either too big or too busy to engage detractors, and we cannot sit idly by and watch some malicious elements attack their reputation with the aim of confusing the minds of their followers. These are the very people from whose mouths we receive the gospel of hope and salvation.
“Beyond this, the activities of these individuals are breeding social anarchy, moral decadence and lawlessness with the overall implication of plunging our society if not the whole nation into an inferno of social and religious violence. Our country has grappled with the challenges of insecurity for so long; we cannot afford to open a new front for another form of violence and insecurity. Therefore, it is in the overall interest of national security to address this social media brigandage called cyberbullying.
“These are the reasons why we cannot hold our peace. We are ready to use every applicable provision of the law to tackle these unwarranted, illogical, brazen, malicious and ill-conceived attacks on the Christian Faith and reputable fathers of Faith in Nigeria regardless of denomination until justice is served and sanity is restored. We are fully armed with the truth, and we know that the forces of evil will always bow before good as the wicked bows at the gates of the righteous.
“In conclusion, we want to reiterate the fact that the publicized arrests were made by us and not by any man of God as purported by those malicious publications. Therefore, any attempt to further twist the narrative and force falsehood down the throats of the public will be vehemently resisted, if necessary, with further legal actions using applicable provisions of the Law.”
