The Association of Kwara Online Media Practitioners (ASKOMP) on Sunday identified some individuals publishing defamatory statement against the association over the #FreeAkogun campaign.
They include the Special Assistant on New Media to Kwara State Governor, Fafoluyi Michael, AbdulRafiu Olatunjo Ajao Teejay (Facebook), AbdulAzeez Musakallah and Amb Ishaq Alaro.
The individuals, suspected to be working in the interest of the state government, published the defamatory statements against ASKOMP on Saturday, October 15, 2022.
ASKOMP in a statement signed by the Chairman, Shola Salihu Taofeek and Secretary, Oyewale Oyelola, said it “considers the post labeling our esteemed members as hoodlums defamatory and will be taking legal action against the four agents of government.
The post shared on several online platforms reads, “Hoodlums who protested at Police Headquarters are not journalists.
“Kwara NUJ wishes to clarify that none of its members staged a protest at the Headquarters of the Kwara State Police Command, Ilorin in the early hours of Friday October 14, 2022.”
The media organization said, “We shall be exploring the Cybercrime (prohibition prevention) Act 2015 to seek redress and ensure that no libelous statement against any of our members is overlooked.
For the purpose of this statement, it is good to state that: “any person who knowingly sends a message or other matter by means of computer systems or 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 for a fine of not more than N7,000,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of not more than three years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”
It has been established that when an individual posts on social media, they are acting as publishers and can be sued for making false or defamatory comments.”
