Lagos — The Nigeria Police Force has filed a notice of appeal challenging the judgment of Justice Lifu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which discharged and acquitted Bolanle Aseyan on a four-count charge bordering on alleged offensive publication, criminal intimidation, and cyberstalking against Dr. Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya.
The appeal, dated October 2025, was filed by the Office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) through its legal officer, Emmanuel Eze, Esq., seeking to overturn the judgment delivered on August 8, 2025, and to order a retrial.
Aseyan was earlier accused of publishing defamatory statements between June 29 and August 14, 2020, via Twitter (now X), allegedly with the intent to harm Dr. Ogunsanya’s reputation. She was charged under Sections 24(1)(a), 24(1)(b), 24(2)(c)(i), and 24(2)(c)(ii) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
However, Justice Lifu, in his ruling, held that while the prosecution had proven the actus reus (the criminal act), it failed to establish the mens rea (the criminal intent) necessary to secure a conviction, leading to Aseyan’s discharge and acquittal.
In the notice of appeal, the prosecution argued that the trial court erred in law by freeing the defendant despite acknowledging that the offensive posts were made and were harmful in nature.
The police further claimed that the trial judge:
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Contradicted himself by admitting the actus reus was proven but acquitting on the basis of lack of mens rea.
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Failed to properly evaluate the exhibits tendered, including the alleged defamatory posts from Aseyan’s verified Twitter account.
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Wrongly dismissed evidence of posts made from both the UK and Nigeria.
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Allowed sentiments to influence judgment by describing the case as a “lover’s quarrel” instead of treating it as a criminal matter.
The notice also faulted the court for relying on what it called “incompetent witnesses” whose testimonies were based on hearsay rather than firsthand knowledge.
A statement from the police further noted:
“The flawed judgment has been wrongly portrayed as vindication of the rape allegations made by Miss Aseyan. The judge did not rule on any rape claim — only on cyberbullying charges brought by the police. Those charges were dismissed on technical grounds. It is important to clarify that the outcome of this case does not validate the rape accusations, which were separately investigated and dismissed by UK authorities.”
The Inspector General of Police has therefore asked the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, to set aside the High Court ruling and order a retrial of the case.
The case, which drew widespread public attention in 2020, stemmed from a series of online allegations that reportedly damaged Dr. Ogunsanya’s reputation. The police maintain that the publications caused “annoyance, intimidation, and reputational harm” in violation of the Cybercrime Act.
The matter is expected to come up soon before the Court of Appeal, Lagos Judicial Division.
