Two Lagos women remanded over cyberstalking

Two women have been remanded in Lagos for allegedly spreading a false publication that Access Bank was shutting down its operations. According to the Daily Post Nigeria, the women were apprehended by the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, following a petition by Access Bank.

The publication, which was posted on Facebook by one of the suspects on July 28, claimed that the bank would shut down operations effective September 23 and advised customers to close their accounts and withdraw their funds. The police said the publication was subsequently circulated on other social media platforms.

The women are facing charges of conspiracy, false publication, fabrication, and digital dissemination of malicious falsehood, economic sabotage, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace. The police believe that the malicious publication could have caused the collapse of the bank, economic crisis, and national embarrassment.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Daily Post Nigeria — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.