X (formerly Twitter) users are threatening to end actress Toyin Abraham’s career for arresting an X influencer, Ayo, over alleged cyberbullying.
On July 9, 2024, an X user, Jeffery, shared that Toyin Abraham had arrested his mom for trolling her online. Jeff also claimed that he had never bullied the actress.
In his words:
“You picked my mom up from her shop to panti police station. For something I didn’t even dooooo, God will judge you…”
However, Toyin Abraham came online hours later to clarify that she had only arrested Jeffery’s friend, Ayo, for cyberbullying her and cursing at her family. She further shared that Jeffery’s mom wasn’t arrested, but she had gone to the police station herself, saying she wouldn’t leave without Ayo.
Recall that Toyin Abraham publicly supported President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 general elections. The actress claimed that Tinubu shared his ideas and vision with her, hence she chose to support him in the presidential election. However, her comment sparked mixed reactions. Since then, many people on the internet have been pushing her to reveal the ideas he shared, often trolling her about it.
Twitter influencer Ayo (@Big Ayo on X) is one of many others who have trolled the actress over the past months. He accused Toyin Abraham of using the money she got from Tinubu to fund her husband’s hair transplant.
Ayo’s tweet that prompted his arrest:
“Mrs @Toyin_Abraham walai aiye e ti ta!! (sic) You collect Tinubu money use fo hair transplant for your husband…stoopid fool.”
Toyin Abraham vowed that she would not spare the trolls, especially those who involve her family. So she had Ayo arrested on July 9, 2024. A few hours later, the actress shared a video in which she addressed the backlash that followed her actions.
She said:
“You have pushed me to the wall and I’m ready to die…”
X Influencers threaten to end Toyin Abraham’s career
Ayo’s arrest has sparked mixed reactions and is currently trending on X with the hashtag #FreeAyo. Many X users are already reporting Toyin Abraham’s movies on Netflix and YouTube in an attempt to end her career.
Popular influencer Danny Ajebo has also urged X users to report Toyin’s social media pages and write to Netflix, if she doesn’t release Ayo today.
Danny wrote on X:
“If Ayo is not released today, we will start mass reporting Toyin’s Instagram page and then move to sending mails to Netflix.”
Another X influencer, Peng, tweeted:
“I’m dedicating my whole day to reporting Toyin Abraham social media pages, YouTube and all of her movies on Netflix. She thinks she can go low? We can go lower.”
Meanwhile, comedian Seyi Law and other staunch APC supporters are rallying behind the actress and protecting her social media pages.
Is Toyin Abraham wrong for arresting Ayo?
While cyberbullying is vile, some Nigerians, including celebrities, think Toyin Abraham could have handled the situation better.
For instance, comedian Macaroni tweeted:
“If anyone insults you or defames your character, go to court and seek justice. APC trolls insult me and tell so many lies against my person. I have never for once used the police to illegally arrest or detain anyone and never will I. There is serious danger in using the police to illegally detain citizens. I hope those of you supporting this abuse of power won’t cry foul when you or your loved ones are the victims. To be clear, this is not to support online bullying and harassment…”
Controversial activist VeryDarkMan also condemned Ayo’s arrest, calling it “an oppression move, abuse of power and influence”.
What does the Nigerian law say about cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is a punishable offense in Nigeria. Offenders risk at least one year’s imprisonment, according to Section 15 of the Cybercrime Act of 2015.
The law states:
“Any person who, through a public electronic communication network persistently sends a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or indecent, falsely created to stir annoyance, hatred, ill-will, intimidation, insult, danger, inconvenience or anxiety would be liable to be convicted to a fine of not less than N2,000,000, imprisonment for at least one year or both fine and imprisonment.”
Meanwhile, Ayo was released in the late hours of July 10, 2024 (a day after his arrest). However, no further updates have been released to the public, as of the time of writing.
If he is charged and found guilty of cyberbullying, he may face a penalty of at least ₦2,000,000 or a minimum of one year in prison, or both. Perhaps Toyin Abraham may yield to pressure from X users and withdraw the case in order to protect her career.
