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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Family begs Elumelu to forgive UTME candidate nabbed over false divorce post

From The Punch · (34m ago) English Critical tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The family of an 18-year-old UTME candidate has appealed to billionaire Tony Elumelu to forgive him for a false social media post alleging divorce.
  • The teenager, Kingsley Akunemeihe, was arrested after resharing the post, which he claims he copied from another user, and has been detained for over a week.
  • His sister pleaded for Elumelu's forgiveness, citing the suspect's young age and remorse, and urged him to withdraw the complaint.

The Punch reports on a family's desperate plea for clemency from Nigerian billionaire Tony Elumelu on behalf of his 18-year-old nephew, Kingsley Akunemeihe. The teenager, who is a UTME candidate, faces legal trouble after allegedly sharing a false social media post claiming Elumelu had divorced his wife, Awele.

Mr Tony Elumelu got the police to arrest my 18-year-old younger brother, Kingsley Chinanu Akunemeihe. He was arrested on Saturday, 18 April. He was coming back from his JAMB exam when he was arrested and never got home.

— Ngozi AkunemeiheKingsley's sister detailing the circumstances of his arrest.

According to Kingsley's sister, Ngozi Akunemeihe, her brother was arrested on April 18th shortly after completing his JAMB examination. She claims the post was not originally created by Kingsley but was reshared from another user's account. After realizing the post was false and defamatory, Kingsley reportedly deleted it and issued an apology on his platform, but he has remained in detention at the State Criminal Investigation Department for over a week.

He said he got it from another person’s handle and shared it with others. After sharing it, people called his attention that the post is fake and defamatory.

— Ngozi AkunemeiheNgozi explaining how her brother came to share the false post.

In an emotional video appeal, Ngozi implored Tony Elumelu to show leniency, emphasizing Kingsley's youth and the fact that he acted out of ignorance. She stressed that the experience has already served as a significant lesson for the teenager and begged Elumelu to withdraw the complaint, allowing Kingsley to return home.

He acknowledged he did something wrong and apologised for it. His apology posts are still there on his handle.

— Ngozi AkunemeiheNgozi emphasizing her brother's remorse and apology.

The incident is part of a broader controversy surrounding the circulation of false claims about Elumelu's marriage. The United Bank for Africa (UBA), where Elumelu serves as Chairman, has previously dismissed the divorce rumors as false and malicious, stating that security agencies were notified and arrests were made. The family's appeal highlights the severe consequences that can arise from the rapid spread of misinformation on social media, particularly for young individuals.

I am begging you sir, please forgive him. He is just 18. I know people may say he is an adult, but he is still a teenager who acted out of ignorance.

— Ngozi AkunemeiheNgozi's emotional appeal to Tony Elumelu for forgiveness.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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