Taiwo Popoola
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted a blogger, Adewale Ajimisogbe, for cyberbullying and libelling the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr Daniel Olukoya.
Ajimisogbe pleaded guilty to the charges 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, over 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 these 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.
As part of the plea bargain arrangement, he agreed to issue a public apology, publish a formal retraction, and forfeit N50,000 to the federal government after pleading guilty to all the charges.
The defence lawyer, Ife Ajayi, urged the court to accept the terms of the plea bargain, stating that his client was a first-time offender with no previous criminal record.
Ajayi also informed the court that Ajimisogbe had expressed remorse and offered an unreserved apology to the nominal complainant, whom he regards as a father figure, and promised not to repeat his actions in the future.
The prosecutor, the counsel for the second defendant, Ademola Adewale, and the lawyer representing the nominal complainant, Adegboye, did not oppose the application.
After listening to the lawyers, Justice Lewis-Allagoa held, “After careful consideration of the application and the submissions from counsel, the plea bargain agreement is hereby granted. The first defendant is to forfeit N50,000 to the state.
“That the matter is further adjourned to June 3, 2025, for the trial of the second defendant,” the judge held.
