A prominent human rights advocate, Chidi Odinkalu, has taken to Twitter to accuse Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) of using its financial influence to oppress and persecute bloggers who published stories about the bank.
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In a series of tweets on December 28, 2024, Odinkalu alleged that since September 19, 2024, GTBank has been working with the Nigerian Police Force to detain bloggers Precious Eze and Olawale Olurotimi on charges of cyberbullying and conspiracy. The bloggers have reportedly been in detention for three months, which is more than double the duration of pre-trial custody allowed by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Odinkalu claims that GTBank has not seriously addressed the stories published by these bloggers, and instead, has focused on showcasing a team of ten lawyers, including three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), to prosecute them.
According to Odinkalu, the case began on September 19 with a petition written by GTBank’s lawyers, which made “ostentatious claims” of cyberbullying and criminal extortion against the bloggers without providing sufficient supporting material. He also noted that the complaint failed to mention the amount the bloggers supposedly sought to extort.
Odinkalu further alleges that within four days, the Nigerian Police had concluded their investigation, with the report from the investigation team, led by Chief Superintendent of Police Michael Abu, explicitly stating that Precious Eze and Olawale Olurotimi should be “used as scapegoats.”
Since Sep 19 2024, @gtbank has procured @policeNG to detain some bloggers, including one Precious Eze & Olawale Olurotimi on charges of #Cyberbullying & “conspiracy” in connection with stories published on their platforms. GtBank has not seriously addressed the stories. pic.twitter.com/GaeGejM7ai
— Chidi Odinkalu, CGoF (@ChidiOdinkalu) December 28, 2024
The human rights advocate believes that GTBank is using its considerable financial power to achieve a “chilling effect” on civic engagement. He called on the bank to stop this alleged oppression and urged citizens to consider stopping their patronage of GTBank if the bank fails to do so.
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