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Court Acquits Bolanle Aseyan On A Four Counts Charge: IGP Appeals

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The Nigeria Police Force has filed a notice of appeal challenging the judgment of Honourable Justice Lifu of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, which discharged and acquitted Bolanle Aseyan on a four-count charge bordering on alleged offensive publication, criminal intimidation and cyberstalking against Doctor Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya.

The appeal, dated October 2025, was filed by the Office of the Inspector General of Police through its legal officer, Emmanuel Eze, Esq., seeking to set aside the August 8, 2025, judgment and order a retrial.

Aseyan was accused of making defamatory publications between June 29 and August 14, 2020, via Twitter (now X), with the alleged intent to harm the reputation of Dr Ogunsanya. She was arraigned on four counts under sections 24(1)(a), 24(1)(b), 24(2)(c)(i), and 24(2)(c)(ii) of the National Assembly of Nigeria’s Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015.

However, Justice Lifu, in his ruling, held that while the prosecution proved the actus reus (criminal act) of the alleged offence, it failed to establish the mens rea (criminal intent), leading to Aseyan’s discharge and acquittal.

In the notice of appeal, the prosecution contended that the trial court erred in law by discharging the respondent despite acknowledging that the alleged publications were made and were offensive in nature.

Among the grounds listed, the prosecution argued that: The trial judge contradicted himself by admitting that actus reus was established but later acquitted the defendant on the basis of lack of mens rea.

The trial court failed to properly evaluate the exhibits tendered by the prosecution, including the offensive posts allegedly made from the respondent’s verified Twitter account.

The judge wrongly discounted the June 29, 2020 post made in the UK and other publications in August 2020 made in Nigeria.

The decision was based on sentiments, particularly by describing the incident as an “altercation between estranged lovers,” instead of a criminal matter.

The judgment was against the weight of evidence presented.

The appeal further faulted the trial judge for relying on testimonies from what the prosecution described as “incompetent witnesses,” adding that their accounts were hearsay and not based on personal observation.

“The recent flawed judgment by the high court judge Peter Lifu has been maliciously twisted into a vindication of the potentially false rape allegations made by Miss Aseyan. However the judge did not adjudicate on rape or rape accusation. She didn’t even take the stand to repeat her claims. The judge only looked into cyberbullying charges as brought by the police prosecutor- charges which were dropped on technicalities by the judge. It will be good to clarify to the public that the outcome of this cyberbullying charges does not in any way prove that her rape allegations are true. The rape accusations were already investigated in the uk by the police and the medical council who found her allegations to be untrue.”

The Inspector General of Police is asking the Court of Appeal to set aside the ruling of the Federal High Court and order a retrial of the case.

The case, which attracted public attention in 2020, stemmed from a series of rape allegations posted on social media, allegedly aimed at damaging Dr. Ogunsanya’s reputation.

The prosecution maintained that the offensive publications caused annoyance, inconvenience, intimidation, and reputational harm, in violation of the Cybercrime Act.

The matter will be heard at the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Lagos Judicial Division.

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POLITICS: Wike-led PDP Faction Takes Over Party Secretariat In Oyo

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Members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, have taken over the secretariat of the party in Oyo State.

The secretariat, located in the Molete area of Ibadan, was in the custody of the faction loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde of the state until Thursday when the members loyal to Wike took over the premises.

DAILY POST gathered that the PDP members stormed the secretariat on Thursday and occupied the premises with hundreds of members of the party in attendance.

PDP chairman in the state, Professor Abdulrahman Akinoso, confirmed the development to DAILY POST.

Akinoso in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST on Thursday, insisted that the real owners have taken over the premises.

He said, “It is true. It is not faction. It is PDP. We have taken over the premises. It was in the morning. We were there in the morning. We just left the premises. We are now in control. We have taken over the premises.” .…For more, Complete your reading.

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POLITICS: Foreign Recognition Won’t Secure Re-election – ADC Tells Tinubu

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that foreign recognition will not secure him another term in office, insisting that Nigerians will judge his administration by its performance, not by diplomatic gestures from other world leaders.

In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party reacted to the Presidency’s celebration of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to Tinubu.

The ADC said presenting the letter as an endorsement of Tinubu’s administration was misleading, stressing that diplomatic correspondence between world leaders is a normal part of international relations.

“The Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation is not correct,” the party said.

According to the ADC, countries cooperate, leaders exchange views and letters regularly, adding that such communication does not amount to an endorsement of a government’s performance.

The party accused the Tinubu administration of being desperate for international validation instead of focusing on solving Nigeria’s challenges.

“It is apparent that this administration is desperate to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home,” the statement said.

The ADC maintained that “a letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people.”

It added that the true measure of any government is not what foreign leaders say about it, but what citizens experience daily.

The opposition party argued that Trump’s letter had not changed the reality facing millions of Nigerians, especially those affected by insecurity.

“For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing. It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely and sleep without fear,” the party stated.

The ADC also pointed to the continued captivity of hundreds of women and children in parts of Borno State and Kaiama in Kwara State, while many communities in Benue and other parts of the country still live in constant fear because of insecurity.

The party further noted that, despite the Presidency’s celebration of the letter, the United States Department of State has not changed its travel advisory for Nigeria.

According to the ADC, several Nigerian states remain under Level 3 and Level 4 travel advisories, with American citizens still being urged to reconsider or avoid travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest.

“We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as ‘Do Not Travel’ areas can be regarded as an endorsement,” the party said.

It argued that the travel advisory shows the international assessment of Nigeria’s security situation remains different from the image the Presidency is trying to project.

The ADC said Nigerians are more concerned about their safety than diplomatic exchanges between presidents.

“The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism,” it said.

The party stressed that Trump’s letter was simply communication between two presidents and “does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance.”

It urged the Tinubu administration to focus less on celebrating diplomatic courtesies and more on delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether .…For more, Complete your reading.

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