Tobias Sylvester
Social media influencer, Chude Nnamdi has been re-arrested by the police over a defamation suit filed by a businessman, Emeka Offor.
KanyiDaily recalls that on March 18, Chude was arrested by the police in Anambra state and taken to Abuja, the country’s capital, where the force confirmed that the influencer was detained for alleged cyberstalking.
Chude, a staunch supporter of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was released on Friday, Mach 24, after spending six days in several police detention facilities.
According to Peoples Gazette, Nnamdi Chude was re-arrested on Wednesday, April 19, and taken into custody after honouring a police invitation in an alleged defamation claim brought by Emeka Offor.
Sources said that Chude was detained around 12:00 p.m. after reporting at the police headquarters in Abuja. He was told that Offor had decided to sue for defamation and he would be kept in custody for trial.
Francis Obuzor, an Abuja-based attorney representing Chude on the matter, said the police have prepared charges — and his client may be arraigned on Thursday morning before a magistrate in the nation’s capital.
While The Gazette confirmed that Nnamdi Chude was being held at a facility used by the Interpol in Nigeria, the body denied involvement in the arrest.
“He is not in our custody, this matter could be with the cybercrime unit but not our department at Interpol,” said Garba Umar, an assistant inspector-general of police, on Wednesday afternoon. “We have nothing to do with the case.”
Nnamdi Chude’s detention came weeks exactly one month after he was arrested for accusing Emeka Offor of plotting with the president-elect, Bola Tinubu to compel Peter Obi to accept the disputed presidential election of February 25.
Offor strongly denied the allegation, but Chude was released from custody after being made to record a video retracting and apologising for the offensive tweet.
Following Chude’s apology and release from custody on March 24, there were indications that the matter would no longer be pursued by Mr Offor.
It remained unclear why the billionaire oil trader decided to file fresh charges, which the police are moving to prosecute under criminal defamation statutes.
Emeka Offor declined to comment on his lawsuit and police’s intervention when newsmen reached out to him on Wednesday afternoon.
KanyiDaily recalls that Chude Nnamdi had share his experience after regaining his freedom on March 24, and thanked all the people who facilitated his release.
