The family of a blogger, Miss Dorcas Adeyinka, who was reportedly arrested on Wednesday for alleged cyberbullying and cyberstalking, has accused the Lagos State Police Command of carrying out a lopsided and biased probe.
Adeyinka’s Family Reactions To Her Arrest
According to a report from Nigerian tabloid, The PUNCH, family sources said that Adeyinka had been subjected to various threats to life, cyberstalking, and bullying by some suspected Nigerian bloggers who use different social media accounts to name-call and shame her.
To this effect, the family is appealing to the police force not to take sides in the matter as they alleged that the same persons suspected to be responsible for the blogger’s ordeals on social media were the same people suspected to be allegedly using the police to finish the blackmailing job they could not finish online.
The mother of the blogger, Mrs Yinka Badmus, said in a telephone interview with PUNCH Metro on Sunday,
“My daughter was never invited by the police for any crime before she was detained. She went to the police station to file a complaint about a traffic issue when some people allegedly walked into the station with other policemen who wanted to arrest her.
“These are the same people who had been bullying my daughter on Facebook and other social media. Nobody invited my daughter to the police station. She went to the police station to complain about a lady who smashed her car. We were shocked when they started saying that some people accused my daughter of insulting the President and Inspector General of Police.”
Corroborating Badmus’ claim, the blogger’s cousin, Toyin Adeyinka, alleged that some other bloggers were trying to use the police to force her cousin to silence for standing up for the truth.
“She has been a victim of cyberbullying and stalking for a long time by some Nigerian bloggers. Her nudity was even shared on social media at some point, which the UK police investigated.
“One person is still in the UK prison. There is a gang-up against Adeyinka. They are using the Nigeria Police to harass her. Our family was bullied on social media. These bloggers chose to use the Nigeria Police because Adeyinka stood up against their threats and bullies.
“These people were even bragging on social media that they had the Nigeria Police in their pockets. She had been called several names on social media. Adeyinka has been living in the UK since age three.
“While she was writing a statement at the station, some of these people recorded her, snapped her name where it was pasted at the station, and started sharing it on social media to snide her. This is a conspiracy to punish Dorcas (Adeyinka) for blogging the truth.”
Background To The Arrest of Adeyinka
In a Facebook post by @Layo Harry Stubborn, a 14-second video of Adeyinka writing a statement inside what was suspected to be a police station was sighted by The PUNCH correspondent, with an accompanying voice partly saying,
“This is Dorcas Adeyinka in a Nigerian prison. She has been jailed. She has been jailed.”
In another 50-second video shared @Asipa Tubosun Martins Facebook page seen by PUNCH Metro on Sunday, the UK-based Nigerian blogger was sighted in a brawl with one other woman outside a shop purportedly owned by one of the bloggers.
Nigeria Police Reaction to Adeyinka’s Arrest
Reacting to the arrest, the spokesperson for the state command, Benjamin Hundeyin, stated on his X handle on Saturday that the blogger’s detention, along with Folake Adekoya and a male, Sikiru Ayinde, bordered on the alleged crime.
He added that the police had conducted a preliminary investigation and that a court remand order had been obtained for the suspects until January 10, 2024.
Hundeyin said,
“The police, having conducted preliminary investigations and establishing these cases against the suspects, arrested the suspects for a consolidation and harmonisation of the investigations for possible prosecution.”
When the correspondent of The PUNCH reached out on Monday to the command, the spokesperson did not pick up his mobile phone. The text message sent to him had yet to receive any response as of the time this report was filed.
Controversies on Dorcas Adeyinka In Times Past
The Facebook blogger had in times past accused Nollywood actress, Lizzy Anjorin, of dishonesty and exposed her on claims that she snatched someone’s husband, had deal with a client in the Middle East and while wanting to outsmart her client, Lizzy was nabbed.
Adeyinka who confessed to belong to a group called Hood also said Lizzy was formerly a member but removed when her ways are not clean and acceptable to the group and cited that this has led to Lizzy’s downfall as she is no longer rich and influential as she used to be.
In a rebuttal, Lizzy filed a suit in a UK court which was claimed to have been struck out as it was out of jurisdiction since the issues were reported to have happened in Nigeria. On the contrary, Adeyinka claimed that she won the case and the court ordered Lizzy to pay her for damages which Lizzy claimed to be false.
As if these are not enough drama, the ex-husband of Adeyinka, Mr. Nasirudeen, in an interview in 2021 claimed that her former wife was unfaithful in their marriage and he had at met her with men upon his return from travel as she takes advantage of that period he is away to bring in men into their home. He also said her ex is fetish.
The couple’s marriage was dissolved on 20th March, 2015.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings