The sister of 18-year-old Kingsley Akunemeihe has appealed to Tony Elumelu to forgive and release her brother, who was arrested over a viral social media post alleging that the businessman had divorced his wife.
In an emotional video shared on Instagram, Ngozi Akunemeihe said her 18-year-old brother, a social media user and UTME candidate, was arrested shortly after writing his JAMB examination and has remained in detention for days.
According to her, Kingsley had reposted a claim on X (formerly Twitter) suggesting that Elumelu had separated from his wife, Awele, without verifying its authenticity.
“Mr Tony Elumelu got the police to arrest my 18-year-old younger brother… He was coming back from his JAMB exam when he was arrested and never got home,” she said.
Ngozi explained that her brother later realised the information was false after being corrected by other users and subsequently issued a public apology on his social media handle.
“He said he got it from another person’s handle and shared it. After people called his attention that it was fake and defamatory, he acknowledged his mistake and apologised. His apology is still there online. He has now been detained for about ten days,” she added.
Visibly emotional, she appealed to Elumelu to show compassion and withdraw the complaint, noting that her brother acted out of ignorance.
“I am begging you sir, please forgive him. He is just 18… He has realised his mistake and apologised. Please withdraw the complaint so he can come back home,” she pleaded.
Earlier, United Bank for Africa had dismissed the viral claim as false, defamatory, and malicious, stressing that it was intended to mislead the public and damage reputations.
In a statement, the bank confirmed that the matter had been reported to law enforcement authorities, leading to the arrest of three individuals allegedly linked to the creation and spread of the content.