During a court appearance on Thursday, well-known Nigerian TikToker Olumide Ogunsanwo, also known as Seaking, was detained again, purportedly for his recent remarks on social media that exposed police corruption.
Through his X (formerly Twitter) account, human rights advocate Omoyele Sowore revealed the incident and denounced the arrest as an effort to muzzle critics of the Nigerian Police Force.
Sowore claimed that Seaking’s most recent detention was the result of Force Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who used cybercrime allegations as a pretext to hold him once more.
Due to his recent social media posts against police corruption, @PoliceNG in Lagos has detained @seaking303 during a court appearance today, purportedly accusing him of cybercrime. According to reports, Force PPRO Adejobi Olumuyiwa @Princemoye1 was responsible for this most recent arrest.
“We ask that the police stop harassing Nigerians with accusations of cybercrime and release @seaking303 immediately,” he added.
According to reports, Seaking was first taken into custody on December 20, 2024, and on December 23, 2024, he was arraigned at Ogba Magistrate Court in Lagos. In a widely shared TikTok video, he allegedly urged young Nigerians to fight police harassment by hurling stones at officers who insist on checking their phones, leading to charges of treason and cyberstalking.
Inspector Christopher John, the police prosecutor, pushed for a 30-day remand, but the judge granted him bail. However, administrative procedures and holiday vacations caused a delay in his release.
After Seaking complied with his bail requirements, his attorney Inibehe Effiong verified his release from Kirikiri Maximum Security Custodial Center on January 6, 2025.
“With TikToker Olumide Ogunsanwo, also known as Seaking, we just left the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri,” Effiong said.
In addition, he pledged to contest the legal processes and denounced the police for stifling free expression through criminal accusations.
Among the accusations made against Seaking are:
Count One: Posting a TikTok video encouraging the public to oppose police officers examining their phones in a manner likely to create a breach of peace (Section 168(d)(2) of Lagos Criminal Law, 2015).
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Count Two: Inciting Nigerian youths to attack police personnel in order to provoke a breach of peace (Section 57(b) of Lagos Criminal Law, 2015).
Section 24(1)(a)(b)(2)(a) and (i) of the Cybercrime Act, 2015, which relates to count three, alleges that his TikTok video incited violence against the Nigerian Police.
Outrage has been generated by Seaking’s rearrest, and campaigners have cautioned against the abuse of cybercrime laws to stifle dissent.
In order to prevent public criticism of the police force’s alleged wrongdoing, Sowore and his legal representatives have called for his quick release and accused the police of utilizing intimidation methods.
