Nathaniel Bassey, a prominent gospel pastor, has filed a plea with Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun about claims that he is the father of Mercy Chinwo’s child.
Bassey called on the IGP to look into and bring charges against four people he claimed were engaging in criminal defamation and cyberstalking.
On April 1, 2024, the singer filed the petition via the legal representatives of Peter Abraham, Uche Matthew, Gbenga Agunloye, and Anthony Abia.
Four social media users claimed last week that Bassey was the father of the well-known gospel singer’s son; their claims gained widespread traction on X.
As a result, the attorneys implored the police to look into the petition against the four social media users—Okoronkwo Ejike, Kingsley Ibeh, Terrence Ekot, and Dj Spoiltkid—as soon as possible.
The petition states: “Our client is a gospel music minister whose ministry and songs have touched the lives of countless people from all over the world.
“On Friday, the 29th day of March 2024, Mercy Chinwo Blessed another popular gospel music minister, and her husband posted pictures of their son and themselves on different social media platforms.
“However, our client was disheartened, saddened, and grossly disturbed to find that the above-mentioned suspects, as mischief makers with a criminal intent to destroy the image and character of our client, had made different social media posts of defamatory matter, calling our client ‘the father of minister Mercy Chinwo Blessed’s son,’ a woman who is married to another man.
“The post by Mr. Okoronkwo Ejike has since gone viral on the platform. In reaction to the post, Mr. Kingsley Ibeh commented on Mr. Okoronkwo’s post with a picture of our client with the caption “The real father of the baby.
“In a post on the platform “X” formerly known as Twitter, “Dj SpoiltKid” a verified X user, quoted the statement by Okoronkwo Ejike along with a screenshot of the post and added, “When are we doing DNA test?”
“In another post, Mr. Terrence Ekot, on the platform “X” made a post thus: “Take a look at the stunning resemblance of mercy chinwo’s son and Nathaniel Bassey. Though duo has been working together on several projects in the past..what do you have to say?”
The four people’s social media posts, according to Bassey’s attorneys, amounted to a total character assassination.
“These nefarious acts of these suspects, if not immediately dealt with, will continue to destroy our client’s image, injure his reputation, assassinate his character and cast aspersion on the good name built by our client over the years.
The attorneys claimed that the four people’s purported acts violated Sections 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) and Sections 373 and 375 of the Criminal Code Act.
“The consequences of making such statements on social media have been known to tarnish the reputations of individuals, render marriages unstable, and many never recover from them. International reputation is an asset — both for the individual and for the nation — and it takes time to acquire.
“Consequently, we urge you to use your good offices to, in the interest of justice, investigate this matter, arrest, and bring the suspect to justice, which will serve as a deterrent to others.”
