Nigerian activist bags 7 years jail term for libel on social media

Ibrahim Wala, popularly known as I G Wala, was on Wednesday jailed by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)  for falsely accusing a public official of corruption. The human right activists accused the head of a pilgrim commission of corruption and went on to march against the official.

In delivering judgment, Justice Yusuf Halilu found the accused guilty on three of the four charges filed against him by the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation — and ruled that I G Wala will serve the sentence in Suleja prison.

According to Premium Times, the complainant, Mukhtar accused Wala of using his Facebook page to incite the public against him and defame his integrity and that of the commission he heads.

The judge found him guilty on three charges including unlawful assembly, public incitement and criminal defamation of character. He was again found guilty of using his organisation, the Citizens Action To Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), to form an unlawful assembly.

“Where is the document proving N3 billion made by chairman hajj commission?

“Why has the accused person failed to tender such document now that he has been dragged before a court of law?”

This was after  Wala wrote on his Facebook page that he has documents to prove the allegation. The judge sentenced him to 7 years in prison.