The police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested and secured the remand of a resident following a cyberstalking petition filed by Prince Akpabio, the lawmaker representing the Essien Udim State Constituency in the House of Assembly.
Prince, a nephew of the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, is seeking re-election on the platform of the APC.
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He defected from the PDP to the APC alongside Governor Umo Eno last year.
The remanded man, Mitchel Nkereuwem is the husband of Inemesit Nkereuwem, the ADC candidate for the Essien Udim State Constituency seat. She is seeking to unseat Prince in the 2027 election.
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Her husband was remanded by a Magistrate Court in Uyo after being arraigned over allegations that he shared on WhatsApp an audio recording allegedly containing defamatory and threatening statements about the lawmaker.
Arrest and petition
A member of Mr Nkereuwem’s legal team, Ewa Okpo, disclosed in a Facebook post that Prince petitioned the police, accusing the activist of publishing the audio recording on an Essien Udim community WhatsApp platform.
According to Mr Okpo, the recording had been circulating on several WhatsApp groups before it reached his client, who, he said, merely forwarded it.
“The maker of the audio identified himself,” Mr Okpo wrote, arguing that the person who allegedly created the recording was known but had not been arrested.
He also alleged that Mr Nkereuwem was detained from about 24 July until his arraignment several days later, contrary to the constitutional provision requiring suspects to be brought before a court within the prescribed period.
The lawyer further stated that the magistrate remanded Mr Nkereuwem pending his appearance before a court with jurisdiction over the alleged cyberstalking offence. The matter was adjourned until 11 August.
Wife alleges political persecution
In a video posted on Facebook, Mrs Nkereuwem accused Prince of orchestrating her husband’s arrest because of her ambition to contest the Essien Udim State Assembly seat.
“I’ve never done this kind of video before, but I’m so heartbroken and forced to do this video,” she said.
“My husband was arrested on Friday by Prince.
“What did my husband do? Somebody else recorded an audio clip talking about Prince and posted it on a platform. My husband forwarded the clip to another platform, saying, ‘Look at what somebody is saying to our brother.'”
She alleged that police officers forced their way into their home before arresting her husband despite his health condition.
“You locked him up for days without thinking about his health. What if he had collapsed? What if he died there?” she said.
Mrs Nkereuwem also questioned why the alleged creator of the recording had not been arrested.
“The main person that recorded the audio is not arrested because Prince has something in mind about my husband,” she said.
“Because I’m aspiring for the State Assembly, and you have the mind to lock up my husband.”
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, Mrs Nkereuwem reiterated that the police examined her husband’s phone and informed the family that he was believed to have recorded the clip.
She maintained that her husband did not create the recording and alleged that the arrest was intended to frustrate her political ambition.
Audio under scrutiny
A review of the audio recording by PREMIUM TIMES indicates that it centres on a personal dispute involving Mr Akpabio and a man who identified himself as Akpan Ikpe.
The recording also contains statements that appear to threaten the lawmaker.
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However, PREMIUM TIMES could not independently establish whether Mr Nkereuwem merely forwarded the recording or whether investigators possess additional evidence linking him to its creation.
The lawmaker did not respond to repeated telephone calls and a text message seeking his comments.
The police spokeswoman in Akwa Ibom, Timfon John, said she would respond when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
Mr Nkereuwem remains in custody pending further proceedings. The case is scheduled to come up on 11 August before a court with jurisdiction over the alleged cyberstalking.
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