The police on Friday arraigned a 19-year-old blogger, Nurenorue Surpruchi, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged cyberstalking and defamatory publications targeting the Chairman of UBA Group, Tony Elumelu.
Surpruchi was brought before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cyberstalking, bullying and defamation.
The teenager pleaded not guilty to all the charges filed against him.
According to the prosecution, the defendant and other persons currently at large allegedly conspired on April 5, 2026, to spread false and damaging information about Elumelu through a computer system and online network.
During the proceedings, prosecution counsel, A.G. Obi of the Force Criminal Investigation Department’s Legal Services Directorate in Alagbon, Lagos, informed the court that the prosecution had filed a four-count charge and requested that the defendant take his plea.
After the charges were read, Surpruchi denied all allegations levelled against him.
Following his plea, Obi told the court that although the prosecution was prepared for trial, it had only just received the defendant’s bail application and needed time to study and respond to it.
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The prosecutor subsequently asked the court to remand the defendant pending the hearing of the bail application and also requested a trial date.
Defence counsel, A. Edoh, confirmed that the bail application had only recently been served on the prosecution and appealed for a short adjournment to allow the application to be heard.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa thereafter adjourned the matter until June 19, 2026, for hearing of the bail request and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
One of the charges alleged that the defendant used an X account identified as “@PROBLElEMCHIMKYI,” said to be linked to him, to publish claims that Tony Elumelu divorced his wife after DNA tests allegedly showed that none of his seven children belonged to him.
The prosecution argued that the post, which allegedly attracted about 1.9 million views, 1,600 reposts, 6,300 likes and over 600 saves, was designed to bully, threaten and harass the businessman while exposing him to public ridicule.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences violate Sections 24(1)(b), 24(2)(a) and 27(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act 2015 (as amended), as well as Sections 373 and 375 of the Criminal Code Act.