Police Reveals How Blogger Who Claimed Fashola Authored PEPC Rulings Was Tracked

POLICE detectives described the process they followed to find the person behind a publication that accused former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, of influencing decisions made by the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) at a Monday, April 15, court hearing in Abuja.

One of the suspects linked to the Reportera.ng article, Ibezim Chike Victor, is charged with six counts (FHC/ABJ/CR/434/2023) by the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The counts include defamation, cyberstalking, and criminal conspiracy.

Inspector Ikemba Cyprian, a police investigator, testified that they tracked him out through technology using the phone number “08146435568,” which the former minister had submitted in petitions to the IGP on August 7 and 8.

In his suit, he said that because he was drafting rulings for the PEPC, which was deciding cases pertaining to the most recent presidential election, the magazine had claimed that his property was surrounded by soldiers.

The investigating team called the former minister after receiving these petitions, and he willingly gave a statement.

However, the witness stated in court that they were able to identify the defendant using the phone number listed in the petition.

“We analyzed the phone number provided in the petition and confirmed it belonged to the defendant,” stated the witness.

Victor acknowledged buying and registering a used MTN SIM card, saying he gave the phone to a person going by the name of Tope, who is currently unaccounted for.

Authorities have verified that the justices of the PEPC wrote the decisions, not outsiders as had been claimed.

Furthermore, the Army refuted sending troops to the complainant's property.

The investigation has since found the defendant's publication aimed to damage the complainant's reputation, with no evidence of a siege on the complainant's home.

The witness went on to say that “the defendant and his collaborators share an office and phone number” and that the release might potentially incite chaos.

Despite the prosecution's protests, the court agreed to postpone the cross-examination until April 19.