Family Pleads With Tony Elumelu To Forgive Teen Arrested Over False Post

The family of 18-year-old UTME candidate Kingsley Akunemeihe has appealed to prominent businessman Tony Elumelu to withdraw his complaint following the teenager’s arrest over a viral social media post alleging that the business leader had divorced his wife.

According to Ireporter Online, Kingsley was apprehended on April 18 while returning from his Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination. The development was disclosed by his sister, Ngozi Akunemeihe, in a video shared online, where she revealed that he has remained in custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department for over a week.

She explained that the teenager did not originate the controversial post but merely reshared it from another account on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to her, Kingsley deleted the post and issued a public apology after it was flagged as false and defamatory by other users.

Ngozi further stated that her brother acknowledged his mistake and took responsibility by removing the content and apologising on his platform, noting that the apology remains visible on his account. Despite this, she said he was arrested about 10 days later, prompting the family to plead for leniency.

She urged Elumelu to consider the teenager’s age and remorse, describing his actions as a result of ignorance and appealing for compassion to enable his release.

Meanwhile, United Bank for Africa, where Elumelu serves as Chairman, had earlier dismissed the divorce claim as false, defamatory, and malicious. The bank confirmed that security agencies were notified, leading to the arrest of individuals allegedly linked to the creation and spread of the claim.

The statement noted that three persons connected to the dissemination of the false information had been taken into custody.

The incident has since sparked widespread debate on issues surrounding defamation, freedom of expression, and the role of law enforcement in addressing social media-related disputes. Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has called on the Nigeria Police Force to release those detained, arguing that the matter should be treated as a civil issue rather than a criminal offence.