Onnoghen: Fani-Kayode, Odumakin must tell us the source of their news - EFCC
- The EFCC is planning to charge Fani-Kayode and Odumakin for cyber crime
- The duo reportedly shared fake story about the EFCC on social media
- The anti-graft agency said their tweets could have caused violence
Criminal charges may be filed against a former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; and activist, Yinka Odumakin, over their social miedia posts claiming operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had raided the house of the chief justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.
The duo had posted the fake news on social media on Tuesday, January 15.
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Fani-Kayode, however, apologised after Onnoghen himself denied the claim.
The Punch reports that a senior source in the EFCC said the two may be charged for breaching the cyber crime act.
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 “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.”
Legit.ng earlier reported that the EFCC said that the two politicians who circulated the fake news on the alleged invasion of the Justice Walter Onnoghen's home on Tuesday, January 15, would be questioned on Wednesday, January 16.
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A spokesperson for the anti-graft agency, Tony Orilade, said the fake news on the purported invasion of the home of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Onnoghen, could injure the country’s interest, Premium Times reports.
The two politicians responsible for the fake news, Femi Fani-Kayode and Yinka Odumakin, would have to explain their action, the EFCC spokesperson said.
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Onnoghen's Trial is Politically Motivated - APRJ | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
