Blogger Arraigned In Anambra Over Alleged Cybercrime, Defamation Against Soludo, Family

The Anambra State Government has arraigned the publisher of Igbo Times Magazine and INews, Ejike Ofoegbu, over alleged criminal defamation and cybercrime stemming from reports published about Governor Chukwuma Soludo and members of his family.

The development was revealed on Monday by the Anambra State New Media team in a post on X, which confirmed that Ofoegbu appeared before the Magistrate Court in Amawbia.

The post read, “Ejike Ofoegbu (Experience), the owner and publisher of Igbo Times Magazine and I News, who published fake news against Gov. Soludo’s family, arrives at Magistrate Court Amawbia, as his criminal defamation and cybercrime offence case continues.”

The arraignment comes just days after the blogger issued a public apology and unconditionally retracted a series of reports he admitted were fabricated.

In a statement titled “Public Apology and Full Retraction,” Ofoegbu acknowledged that several stories published about Governor Soludo and his son, Ozonna, were false and were created to drive online traffic and generate financial gain.

“I publicly admit that the stories I published concerning Governor Soludo and his son were completely fake, false, fabricated, and untrue. They did not come from Governor Soludo, his son, his family, or any official representative.

“They were not based on any verified facts or credible source, and they should never have been presented as news,” he stated.

The publisher also withdrew several viral claims, including allegations that Governor Soludo had disowned his son and reports claiming Ozonna had described his father as a drunkard who abused his mother, admitting that the stories were entirely fabricated.

Ofoegbu further confessed that the publications were motivated by the desire to attract audience engagement and increase revenue. He offered an apology to Governor Soludo, his family, readers and the people of Anambra State for the misinformation.