The Nigeria Police Force has claimed that its operatives have recovered about 12 social media pages purportedly belonging to a popular blog, Gistlover from the three suspected operators.
This was announced in a circular released by the Force on Saturday, alleging that Gistlover was not being operated by one person but by a syndicate tagged as “Gistlover Family.”
Recall that SaharaReporters reported on Friday how the Nigerian Police Force, in a press statement by its spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said it apprehended three persons alleged to be behind Gistlover.
The arrest was made by the National Cybercrime Center of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The statement also identified the suspects as follows: Adebukola Kolapo, Nnedum Micheal Somtomchukwu and Isaac Akpokighe, all males of ages 27, 25 and 30.
The suspects were arrested in connection with a case of alleged conspiracy, cyberstalking, and threat to life.
Reacting, the popular microblogging platform, Gistlover, in a series of posts made via its Instagram page, alleged that those paraded by the Police were not its operators, asking the security operatives to provide evidence to prove blog’s relation with them.
The police had also insisted that evidence and facts discovered from the arrested suspects had linked them to Gistlover Family via a circular released on Saturday.
According to the circular, the police also vowed to make all their findings regarding the matter available to the general public in due time.
The circular reads: “ARREST OF MEMBERS OF THE GISTLOVER SYNDICATE; IMPORTANT FACTS TO NOTE THAT CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, THE GISTLOVER BLOG IS NOT RUN BY AN INDIVIDUAL BUT BY A SYNDICATE CALLED GISTLOVER FAMILY.
“THAT THE SUSPECTS WERE ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION IN A CASE OF CONSPIRACY, CYBERSTALKING AND, THREAT TO LIFE.
“THAT THE SUSPECTS ARRESTED ARE NOT MERE FOLLOWERS BUT MEMBERS OF THE SYNDICATE, AND ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN VARIOUS DEGREES OF CRIMINAL CONSPIRACIES.
“THAT 12 GISTLOVER PAGES WERE RECOVERED FROM THE SUSPECTS UPON THE CONDUCTION OF DIGITAL FORENSIC ANALYSIS.
“THAT THE SUSPECTS KNOWING FULLY WELL THE CRIMINAL NATURE OF THE BLOG CONTINUED TO CONSPIRE IN CAUSING PAIN TO SEVERAL LAW ABIDING CITIZENS AND VIOLATING EXTANT LAWS.
“THAT INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING, FINDINGS WILL BE MADE KNOWN AND SUSPECTS WILL BE CHARGED TO COURT.”
