By DEBORAH COKER

Sen. Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District, says he is taking steps to prosecute a social media influencer, Timothy Gabriel, for defamatory, misleading allegations against him and wife Regina Daniels.

This is contained in a statement by the Ned Nwoko Media Directorate and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Abuja on Saturday.

Nwoko stated that while at it, Gabriel dared him and his wife to respond and openly invited legal action, adding that the challenge had now been accepted.

He noted that no individual had the right to hurl baseless and vulgar accusations against another citizen and then hide behind social media antics or street protests to evade accountability.

?We have taken full notice of the vile, reckless, and malicious statements made by one Timothy Gabriel, alias Tuma, and the accompanying attempts to dress lawless behavior in the garb of activism or press freedom.

?Gabriel not only spewed defamatory lies against Regina Daniels, my wife and accomplished actress but also myself, and he did so repeatedly, with clear intent to provoke, incite, and destroy reputations.

?There is no democracy anywhere in the world where freedom of speech includes freedom to defame, blackmail, or incite hatred under the guise of online influence.

?The internet is not above the law. Those who think they can assassinate character and go unpunished are about to face the full weight of Nigeria?s legal system.

?My legal team also representing Regina-Daniels Nwoko is already taking every step necessary to prosecute Gabriel and his enablers through every legal means available.

?This includes both criminal defamation and civil suits, for which the evidence is overwhelming.

?His slanderous comments about paternity, morality, and fictitious personal ?evidence? are not only damaging, they are false, dangerous, and criminally prosecutable,? he said.

The lawmaker added that those amplifying or defending the behaviour of Gabriel under the banner of human rights advocacy should know that freedom of speech does not include the right to lie and destroy.

?Mr Gabriel and any co-conspirators should prepare to face the law in the most decisive manner. The real trouble has only just begun and it will not be fought on social media, but in court, through the strength of evidence and the rule of law.

?Let the public be assured; defamation is not activism, and I will ensure that the lines are drawn clearly in the courtroom,? he stressed. (NAN)

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