The four-year legal battle between two Nigerian doctors that once dominated Twitter timelines has ended with a decisive courtroom victory for Dr Bolanle Aseyan.
On August 18, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, discharged and acquitted Dr Aseyan of all four counts of cyberbullying and cybercrime brought against her by fellow doctor and popular Twitter influencer, Dr Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya, widely known as #OurFavOnlineDoc.
Justice Lifu held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, finding no credible evidence that Dr Aseyan threatened, harassed, or intimidated the complainant online.
The case originated from a viral dispute during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, after Dr Aseyan made public allegations against Dr Ogunsanya during a visit to Leeds, UK. Dr Ogunsanya responded with a police petition accusing her of cyberbullying and defamation.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu noted that the police failed to prove malicious intent or link the alleged offending posts to Dr Aseyan’s verified social media accounts. “The prosecution did not discharge the burden of proof required by law,” the judge declared, dismissing all allegations and describing rumours that Dr Aseyan fled the UK as “baseless and vindictive.”
Beyond the acquittal, the case has sparked public debate about how law enforcement in Nigeria handles sensitive online disputes. Reports cited by investigative platforms alleged that the handling of the matter by police involved intimidation and coercion, raising concerns about due process.
Human rights observers have criticised the way the case was pursued, noting that Aseyan’s statements were allegedly taken under duress without the benefit of full legal representation.
Civil defamation suits filed by Dr Ogunsanya in the UK and Nigeria have also been struck out, effectively bringing to a close one of the most widely debated online controversies of the pandemic era.
For Dr Aseyan, the verdict represents not just personal vindication but also a call for urgent reform in how sensitive disputes are handled by law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, in a separate application under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, filed before the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, Dr Aseyan is seeking enforcement of her fundamental rights, alleging continued police harassment and repeated threats of arrest despite the conclusion of the earlier criminal case.
In an affidavit supporting her suit, she stated that the police have continued to intimidate and threaten her, a situation she says has caused her severe emotional and psychological distress.
She named the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Panti, CSP Margaret Ighodalo (Investigating Police Officer), and Dr Ogunsanya as respondents in the suit.
According to her affidavit, after returning to Nigeria from the UK, she was arrested and arraigned before the Magistrate’s Court, Ebute Metta, on allegations of “conduct likely to cause threat to life.”
“The 4th respondent and her colleagues tried to forcefully compel me to make a video denying my earlier allegations. When I refused, I was arraigned before the Magistrate’s Court,” she stated.
She explained that she diligently attended her trial until prosecutors withdrew the case, claiming a new charge had been filed at the Federal High Court.
Although the Magistrate’s Court matter was struck out, she alleged that the police had continued to threaten her with arrest over the same matter. “The police under the 1st to 5th respondents have continued to harass, embarrass, and threaten to arrest and detain me on the same allegation already pending before the Federal High Court,” she said.
Aseyan told the court that the constant harassment had made it difficult for her to focus on her work or live peacefully. She urged the court to intervene and stop what she described as an unlawful attempt to intimidate her into silence.
