Calabar, Nigeria – The Federal High Court in Calabar has acquitted Mr. Charles Oberu, who was accused of circulating a sextape involving him and his ex-girlfriend, Ms. Paradise Gracious John. The case, which had dragged on for over two years, was finally concluded on Thursday when Justice Rosemary Dugbo delivered her judgment.
Ms. John, a nursing student at the Cross River State School of Nursing in Itigidi, had filed a petition against Mr. Oberu in April 2022, alleging that her sextape had been widely shared. In response, Mr. Oberu was arrested later that month and arraigned on June 9th, 2022, facing two charges of cyberstalking and blackmail.
However, after numerous adjournments, the court has now ruled in favor of the defendant. Justice Dugbo, in her judgment, stated that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, and therefore, discharged and acquitted Mr. Oberu.
The judge highlighted several key issues with the prosecution’s case, including the lack of evidence linking the iPhone used in the alleged crime to the defendant. Additionally, the court found that the prosecution had not adequately proven that Mr. Oberu had transmitted or caused the transmission of his communication with CrossRiverWatch, an online newspaper, with the intention of bullying, threatening, or harassing Ms. John.
“This court has agreed with the submission of the learned defense counsel, that based on the evidence and counter-evidence adduced in this charge, the prosecution has not discharged the burden of proof placed on him,” Justice Dugbo stated in her ruling.
The case, which had garnered significant attention and raised concerns about privacy and the non-consensual sharing of intimate content, has now been resolved in favor of the defendant after a lengthy legal battle.
