Gospel Singer Nathaniel Bassey Petitions IGP Over Defamation

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has been asked by gospel minister Nathaniel Bassey to look into and bring charges against four people he believes are guilty of criminal defamation and cyberstalking.

Through his attorneys, Peter Abraham, Uche Matthew, Gbenga Agunloye, and Anthony Abia, the musician filed the petition with the IGP on April 1, 2024.

An accusation that went viral on X last week involved four social media users claiming that Bassey was the father of a fellow well-known gospel singer's youngster.

The four social media users named in the petition—Okoronkwo Ejike, Kingsley Ibeh, Terrence Ekot, and Dj Spoiltkid—should therefore be given immediate attention by the police authorities, according to the lawyers.

One section of the petition stated, "Our client is a gospel music minister whose songs and ministrations have impacted the lives of so many from different walks of life across the globe."

"On Friday, March 29, 2024, Mercy Chinwo Blessed, a well-known gospel music minister, and her spouse shared images of their son and themselves on various social media sites.

The client, who is married to another man, was, nevertheless, deeply troubled and disheartened to learn that the aforementioned suspects, acting as pranksters with the unlawful intent to damage our client's reputation, had made a number of defamatory posts on social media, referring to our client as "the father of minister Mercy Chinwo Blessed's son."

Since then, Mr. Okoronkwo Ejike's article has been very popular on the platform. Mr. Kingsley Ibeh responded to the post by attaching a photo of our client with the caption, "The real father of the baby," to Mr. Okoronkwo's post.

"Dj SpoiltKid," a verified X user, posted a screenshot of the statement by Okoronkwo Ejike on the site "X," which was once known as Twitter. "When are we doing DNA test?" the user asked.

"Mr. Terrence Ekot" posted the following on the platform "X" in another post: "Look at the amazing likeness between Nathaniel Bassey and Mercy Chinwo's son. Even though the two have collaborated on a number of projects in the past, what say you? (sic).
According to the attorneys, Bassey's character was completely destroyed by the four people's social media remarks.

If these suspects' heinous deeds are not swiftly laid to rest, they will carry on destroying our client's good name, harming his reputation, killing his character, and damaging his image that has been developed over the years.

Sections 373 and 375 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act were allegedly violated by the four accused people, according to the lawyers.

Such remarks have been known to damage people's reputations, cause marriages to become unstable, and many people never fully recover from them on social media. An asset is an international reputation, which benefits the individual as well as the nation—and it takes time to acquire.
"Therefore, we implore you to utilise your excellent offices to, for the sake of justice, look into this matter, apprehend, and prosecute the suspect, which will serve as a warning to others."

Muyiwa Adejobi, a police spokesperson, responded, "I will find out," when reached. Calls were also made to Pelumi Olajengbesi, Mercy Chinwo's attorney.