UK blogger denies murder in Nigeria as police's 'wanted' post goes viral

UK-based blogger Dorcas Adeyinka is wanted by Nigerian authorities for a string of crimes, including murder.

The Nigerian police force posted a wanted notice for her on social media this week, which went viral. The charges against her include murder, abduction, cyberstalking, injurious falsehood, threat to life and extortion.

The tweet, which boasted more than 3.1-million views, went viral with social media users being fixated on the peculiar description of Adeyinka’s appearance, particularly noting the size of her chin and head which police described as “big”.

In response to the viral post, Adeyinka took to her Dorcas Adeyinka Empowerment Foundation page to plead innocence.

“When you are innocent you have nothing to worry about. I will not be intimidated. My humanitarian work that is hurting my enemies will continue. Helping the less privileged is inbuilt for me,” she said. 

“The people that are writing fake petitions against me have done worse on this social media. What was done to them? They went as far as sharing my nudity.”

Her lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi of Law Corridor, argued that the charges against Adeyinka were fabricated by people on social media.

“While we acknowledge that this issue originated from a shameful social media dispute involving certain individuals, we are surprised by the extent of attention it has garnered from the Nigeria police force.

“It is crucial to note that this is not the first instance of our client being unfairly targeted. In December last year, similar unfounded charges were levied against her, only to be struck out by the court due to lack of evidence,” said Olajengbesi.

He claimed Adeyinka was co-operative with the police. The wanted noticed was posted days after Adeyinka received a “chieftaincy” title on May 11, he said. 

“The police asked her to report to the Abuja office on May 8 to which she communicated her schedule and informed them that her legal team would co-ordinate a suitable alternative date with the police.

“Therefore the proclamation of her being wanted, especially when her availability was evident and she was in a public event on May 11 where she was decorated, suggests either a misguidance within the Nigeria police force or an unauthorised access to their official channels to make such a derogatory statement. This appears to trivialise the crucial role of the police,” he said.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Nigeria police force communication officer Kalu Chijioke Erem would not divulge much about the incident.

“We cannot comment further. The case is still under investigation,” he said.

The police have promised a “handsome reward” to anyone with information provided to 0806-133-9096 or 0803-624-2591, which could lead police to Adeyinka's arrest.

Here are some reactions from social media: 

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