Saturday, August 9, 2025 - The cybercrime charges brought against a female medical doctor, Bolanle Aseyan by the Inspector General of Police, IGP, have been dismissed by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Peter Lifu in a judgment on Friday dismissed the
charges following the failure of the police to establish the ingredients of the
alleged offences.
The IGP had put the female medical doctor on trial on a
four-count charge bordering on defaming, harassing and intimidating her fellow
United Kingdom-based medical doctor, Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya, in the social
media.
Among others, the police accused Aseyan of causing harm to
the reputation of her former boyfriend in the social media contrary to the
provisions of Cyberbullying Prevention and Prohibition Act.
To establish the allegations, the police called three
witnesses who testified against the female doctor during trial while she called
two in her own defense.
However while reviewing the case as presented, Justice Lifu
found that both Ogunsanya and the defendant are medical doctors by training and
were in relationship before it turned sour.
The judge also found that the two had sexual intercourse
while together in the United Kingdom and that both made publications in the
social media against each other after they broke up.
He further found that the Metropolitan Police in the United
Kingdom and their counterparts in Nigeria were used by the estranged lovers
against each other while the differences persisted.
In his judgment, the judge said that the ingredients of the
charges against the female medical doctor were not provided by police as
required by law.
Specifically, Justice Lifu said that the X handle of the
defendant was not placed before the court as exhibit that can lead to
conviction of the lady.
Justice Lifu said that elements of threat and intimidation
were not made available to the court whereas there was evidence of love between
the two parties before the altercations and hostilities.
In all, the judge held that all the four counts in the
charge failed and accordingly dismissed them.
The judge ordered that seized properties including the
international passport of the defendant must be returned to her forthwith by
police upon being served with the judgment.
The female doctor who claimed to have met Ogunsanya online
in 2019, had in 2020 traveled to the United Kingdom to meet the man but claimed
that she was raped on her first day after taking some alcohol.
She alleged that Ogunsanya offered her wine shortly after
her arrival in Leeds on March 7, 2020, following a long flight, lost luggage
and physical exhaustion.
She alleged passing out after the drink and waking up to
find out that Ogunsanya had allegedly had sex with her without her consent
after which he allegedly maltreated her before she found her way back to
Nigeria.
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