Chidi Odinkalu, a prominent human rights advocate, has publicly accused Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) of using its financial influence to persecute bloggers Precious Eze and Olawale Olurotimi, who have been detained for publishing stories about the bank.

In a series of tweets on December 28, 2024, Odinkalu claimed that since September 19, 2024, the bank has collaborated with the Nigerian Police Force to imprison the bloggers on charges of cyberbullying and conspiracy. He further alleged that the bloggers have been held in custody for over three months, which exceeds the Administration of Criminal Justice Act’s limit for pre-trial detention.

Odinkalu argued that GTBank has not directly addressed the content of the bloggers’ stories. Instead, the bank is said to have assembled a legal team of ten lawyers, including three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), to pursue the case.

According to Odinkalu, the issue began with a petition from GTBank’s lawyers on September 19, making sweeping claims of cyberbullying and criminal extortion against the bloggers. However, the petition allegedly lacked concrete evidence and failed to specify the amount the bloggers supposedly tried to extort.

Odinkalu also claimed that within four days of the petition, the Nigerian Police had concluded their investigation, with the report from Chief Superintendent of Police Michael Abu stating that the bloggers should be “used as scapegoats.”

The human rights advocate expressed concern that GTBank is using its financial resources to create a “chilling effect” on civic engagement and free speech. He called for the bank to halt its alleged persecution of the bloggers and urged citizens to reconsider their patronage of GTBank if the bank does not take immediate action to address the issue.

Source:BarristerNG