Onnoghen : FFK, Odumakin may be charged for breaching Cyber Crime Act, EFCC warns

The Federal Government may file criminal charges against a
former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; and activist, Mr.
Yinka Odumakin, over separate posts on social media about the
purported raid of the home of the embattled Chief Justice of
Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.

Fani-Kayode, who has since apologised for the error, had said,
“Why have the EFCC surrounded the home of CJN Onnoghen and why are
they seeking to arrest him? These people want Nigeria to burn!
Buhari call off your dogs before it is too late!”

Odumakin, who is also the spokesman for pan-Yoruba group,
Afenifere, had posted a video claiming that the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission had surrounded the home of the CJN.

A senior EFCC official told our correspondent that both Odumakin
and Fani-Kayode would be invited and based on the outcome of
investigations, they may be charged for breaching the Cyber Crime
Act.

The source said the fake news could have caused serious
violence, including the destruction of oil pipelines.

He said, “It is not enough for them to make apologies. They will
be invited to explain their intention for spreading such fake news.
They must tell us the source of their information.

“That news heated up the polity and could have caused crisis. On
Sunday a Niger Delta group had threatened to start bombing oil
facilities if Onnoghen was harassed.

“Imagine if that group had started bombing pipelines because of
that fake news? We will not condone this. There must be
consequences for such actions and they will face the law.”

Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention)
Act, 2015 states that anyone who knowingly publishes fake news for
the purpose of causing breach of peace will be liable to a jail
term of three years or a fine of N7m or both.

It reads, “Any person who knowingly or intentionally sends a
message or other matter by means of computer systems or network
that 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 Act and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not
more than N7,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of not more than
three years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”