Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force, has stated that issuing direct curses at someone online constitutes a criminal offense and is punishable by law.
Adejobi made this known in a post on his X page today while esponding to comments regarding Olamide Thomas, a female nurse and activist arrested over remarks she made during a live Facebook video.
In the live video, Thomas directed curses at the children of President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. The viral video, streamed on October 20, followed her alleged assault by police officers during the #EndSARS memorial procession at the Lekki Tollgate.
In a moment of anguish and perceived injustice, Thomas expressed her grievances through emotional outbursts, invoking divine retribution and issuing harsh condemnations against President Tinubu, Inspector-General Egbetokun, and Muyiwa Adejobi. Her remarks included predictions of loss and tragedy.
The video also showed the distressed activist pleading with bystanders to pour water on her head, appearing to recover from the effects of teargas.
Reacting to the incident, Adejobi clarified that directing curses online amounts to cyberbullying and cannot be considered freedom of expression or constructive criticism.
READ ALSO: Police arrest activist Olamide Thomas in Lagos
He tweeted: “Raining direct curses on someone online is cyberbullying, not expression of freedom or criticism. And cyberbullying, which is even different from defamation, is a criminal offence and punishable. Be guided.”
He further clarified the distinction between criminal and civil matters while responding to an X user who questioned why Thomas had not been sued.
According to him, Thomas’s case is criminal in nature, not a matter of defamation. He said, “It’s not a civil matter. it’s criminal in nature. You can only sue for civil matters. You prosecute for criminals matters. Her case is criminal, not defamation.”
Adejobi further stated that the activist was detained in prison under a court order. “She is kept with a court order, please. Her lawyer knows, forget the social media hypes about the case.”
More so, he said, “Defamation could either be criminal or civil. We have it in the criminal law of our land, and it could be redressed in the court. So, if you decide to seek prosecution, it’s allowed. We need to be guided. We have criminal defamation.”
