A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the remand of a 19-year-old blogger, Nurenorue Surpruchi, over allegations of cyberstalking, conspiracy, bullying and defamation involving the Chairman of , .
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa fixed June 19, 2026, for the hearing of the defendant’s bail application after Surpruchi was arraigned on a four-count charge before the court on Friday.
The teenager pleaded not guilty to all charges after they were read in open court.
Prosecution counsel, A.G. Obi, representing the Directorate of Legal Services of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, told the court that the defendant and other suspects still at large allegedly conspired on April 5, 2026, to publish false and damaging information against Elumelu through digital platforms.
Obi informed the court that although the prosecution was ready to proceed with the case, it had only just received the defendant’s bail application and needed time to respond appropriately. She subsequently asked the court to remand the defendant pending the hearing of the bail request.
Defence counsel, A. Edoh, confirmed that the application had just been served on the prosecution and appealed for a short adjournment to allow the court hear the bail request.
After listening to both parties, Justice Lewis-Allagoa adjourned the matter until June 19 for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the determination of the request.
According to the prosecution, Surpruchi allegedly used an X account identified as “@PROBLElEMCHIMKYI” to publish claims that Elumelu divorced his wife after DNA tests allegedly revealed that none of his seven children belonged to him.
The prosecution argued that the post, which reportedly attracted about 1.9 million views, over 1,600 reposts and thousands of reactions, was intended to harass, threaten and damage the reputation of the businessman.
The alleged offences were said to contravene provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended), as well as sections of the Criminal Code Act.
Meanwhile, the case has continued to generate reactions online, with some critics questioning the criminalisation of defamation-related allegations.
