TIB asked the police force to stop making itself available as a tool in the hands of rich and connected men and women.
A human rights and pro-democracy group, Take It Back Movement (TIB) has called for the immediate release of the Labour Party (LP) supporter, Nnamdi Chude, arrested by the Nigeria Police Force for alleged criminal defamation.
The group on Thursday argued that libel is not a criminal offence but a civil matter and that whoever feels defamed by Chude should seek redress in court and not resort to abuse of state institutions.
TIB asked the police force to stop making itself available as a tool in the hands of rich and connected men and women.
“@PoliceNG must #FreeChudeNow. Libel is not a criminal offense. It is a civil matter. Whoever feels libeled should seek redress in court, and not resort to abuse of state institutions.
“We ask that the police stops making itself available as a tool in the hands of rich and highly connected men and women,” the group said.
SaharaReporters on Wednesday reported that the Nigeria Police Force rearrested the social media influencer and Labour Party supporter over alleged criminal defamation.
Chude’s rearrest was connected to a tweet on his Twitter handle in which he claimed that an Anambra businessman, Chief Emeka Offor, had been engaged by Nigeria’s 'president-elect' Bola Tinubu to beg Peter Obi to accept the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
The police in March also arrested Chude but released him some days later.
A police source told SaharaReporters that following the allegation, the businessman, Offor sued Chude for alleged criminal defamation which has reportedly been found as a perfect ground to put him out of the social media space.