Federal Govt Drags Five Ex-Staff of Tinubu-Linked Alpha-Beta to Court Over Alleged Cybercrimes

In a dramatic turn of events, the Federal Government of Nigeria has initiated a court case against five former employees of Alpha-Beta Consulting LLP, a company closely associated with President Bola Tinubu. The defendants, including Segun Oluwasanmi, the Media Officer of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Lagos Branch, are facing charges related to alleged cybercrime offences. These charges are linked to publications by SaharaReporters that exposed corruption allegations against certain officials of Alpha-Beta. The case, which is being heard at the Federal High Court in Lagos, involves five counts of conspiracy, cyberbullying, transmission of threatening messages, and the creation of an anonymous Gmail account. According to the prosecution, the defendants used the email address [email protected] to send a threatening message to Alpha-Beta's Group Managing Director, Otunba Akinsanya Doherty. The message in question reads, 'Both you, Mr & Mrs Akinsanya Olugbenga Dorothief, can you boldly tell your husband to step into the Alpha-Beta office and see if he comes out untouched.' The prosecution also alleged that the defendants intentionally communicated to the public through SaharaReporters and other media organisations a publication titled, 'Tinubu-Linked Alpha-Beta Consulting pays N400,000 gratuity after 20 years of service, hands million, top contract job to GMD loyalist,' which they classified as cyberbullying under the Cybercrimes Act. Oluwasanmi has spoken out about the case, stating that the prosecution is an attempt to silence the rights group over its petitions accusing Alpha-Beta of forgery, tax evasion, and other alleged misconduct. He alleged that the police and anti-corruption agencies are trying to intimidate him and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights. The matter is scheduled to come before Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Thursday, July 2. Oluwasanmi insisted that the charges were retaliation for petitions submitted by CDHR to anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He expressed disappointment that despite the petitions, no action was taken against Alpha-Beta, but rather against him and the other defendants. The case has sparked concerns about the use of cybercrime laws to silence critics and the role of the government in protecting the interests of powerful individuals and companies.