Court Refuses Ihuoma Nneji's Request to Stop Arrest over Cyberstalking Claims

The Federal High Court in Abuja has turned down Ihuoma Nneji’s request to stop her arrest over claims of cyberstalking, criminal defamation, and injurious falsehood.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Justice M.G. Umar said the application had no merit. The court backed the Nigeria Police Force's right to keep investigating the claims against Ms Nneji.

The judge also refused to cancel the arrest warrant issued in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/627/25 at the request of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP). He ordered the businesswoman to present herself to the police for further investigations.

This ruling means the arrest warrant stays valid and can be acted upon by the police.

Ms Nneji is the daughter of Frank Nneji, who founded ABC Transport Plc. This company is one of Nigeria’s top long-distance transport firms.

Background

The issue started with a petition from Abuja lawyer Henry Uzochukwu. He accused Ms Nneji of criminal defamation, injurious falsehood, and cyberstalking.

On April 16, 2025, the police, through the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC), declared Ms Nneji wanted. This caught a lot of public attention because she is the daughter of a well-known transport entrepreneur.

After the police announcement, Ms Nneji publicly denied the allegations. She claimed that the police had not reached out to her before declaring her wanted.

She said she only found out about it through social media posts and news articles.

Dispute linked to failed wedding plans

Ms Nneji claims her problems with Mr Uzochukwu began after their planned wedding fell apart.

She says she ended the relationship and called off the wedding in August 2024. After that, disagreements between them led to legal battles and public disputes.

She later filed a civil defamation case against Mr Uzochukwu at the Federal High Court in Abuja. She accused him of running online attacks and damaging her reputation.

The issue gained more public attention in September 2024 when social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, spoke out about the conflict through various online posts and videos. He accused Ms Nneji of trying to blackmail Mr Uzochukwu, a claim she denied.