The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a female TikTok user, Nwakaego Okoye, to three years imprisonment for cyberstalking Nollywood actress, Eniola Badmus.
The convict pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of cyberstalking.
Delivering his judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Nicholas Oweibo, considering the convict over her remorse, gave her an option of paying a fine of N150,000 in lieu of jail time.
Prosecution counsel Nosa Uhumwangho, told the court that Okoye and one Chimabia (now at large) conspired to commit the offence in Lagos between December 2022 and July 2023.
The offence contravened Sections 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(c) and 27 of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, the prosecutor stated.
Okoye, who was arrested for making defamatory statements against actress Eniola Badmus, confessed that she defamed the actress because a friend, Fortune Ibe, promised to pay her N200,000.
READ ALSO: Give Us One Week To Address Your Demands, Senate Chief Whip To Protesters
Seen in a video clip apologising for her actions, Okoye said she needed the money to pay her house rent, adding that desperation pushed her into acting in such a manner.
However, the actress was also seen in the video querying the suspect on the reason for defaming her.
Okoye said, “What happened was that a friend of mine, Fortune Ibe, said if I should come out and talk about Mrs Eniola Badmus, he was going to send me N200k because I told him about my rent.
“That was what prompted the video. I am so sorry; I just did that because I was desperate to pay my house rent. I just did it because of the money.”
Uhumwangho said over three million viewers viewed the maligning video online.
Meanwhile, following Okoye’s arrest, Badmus rejected pleas to settle the matter out of court as she insisted on charging her for maligning her hard-earned reputation.