The Vanguard Newspaper has termed persons like Timi Frank, Jackson Ude, Reno Omokri and others who specialises in spreading fake news as online pests.

In an editorial on Wednesday titled, “Need for action against online pests”, the renowned newspaper called for action against them.

Read the Vanguard editorial below:

It is five years since the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act of 2015 was enacted in Nigeria.

The Act regulates the use of our internet resources to foster socio-economic and political development while preventing crime and abuse of human rights.

The Cybercrime Act which is well-received across the civil society spectrum has acted as the shield with which the media and social advocacy community have successfully warded off draconian legislations such as the Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill 2019, which empowered government to regulate the social media.

The Cybercrime Act provides against cyberstalking and bullying. Obviously, beyond the sporadic predation of hapless young people by the police for alleged internet fraud, enough has not been done to use this Act to deal with cyber news stalkers, bullies and malicious purveyors of fake news.

Perhaps, no other public figure has been more harassed than the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. For instance, in the past few months, the VP has come under series of allegations most of which turned out to be false.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, has denied allegations by a former party official, Timi Frank, that it gave Osinbajo N90bn to fund the 2019 elections for the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Also, the House of Representatives has confirmed that the N5bn emergency fund Osinbajo approved for the National Emergency Management Authority’s North East relief efforts were from budgeted sources and the VP had no hand in its spending.

The suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has also denied stealing N40bn from the looted funds and giving a N5bn “cut” to the Vice President as widely reported.

The latest allegation, which has also been publicly disavowed, is that Osinbajo colluded with the Auditor-General of the Federation to withdraw N10bn from the Treasury Single Account, TSA.

The Vice President, being a cleric and respected legal practitioner, is vulnerable and struggling to cope with this barrage of false publications that seek to sully his name.

We condemn cyber bullying and fake news in all their ramifications. While we stand firmly for freedom of the media, we believe that practitioners (including bloggers) must remain true to its laws and professional ethics. In holding government to account, the media must remain socially-responsible and do everything not to play into the hands of those waiting for an excuse to tamper with our civil liberties.

The law must protect every law-abiding citizen from malicious, online pests.

VANGUARD
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/08/need-for-action-against-online-pests/

Cc:
Seun
Mynd44
Lalasticlala

Indeed these guys lay claim to fame by peddling propaganda and fake news to arouse or insult people's sensibility.

Awon hatchet job specialists.

there are also pests in APC and Aso Rock

In fact, they are real online pest and hungry as well

......and these are their publishers.. Shame!

Its becoming clear to everyone that these guys are paid to display such high level of ignorance. Their allegations lack facts, figures and evidence but unsuspecting Nigerians fall for stories like these. Jackson Ude even extends his irresponsibility to his pointblank news site to peddle more lies.

These guys don't deserve the popularity and attentions we give them. They are miscreants. Who know Jackson actually worked under Johathan's administration?

If these guys are not sent to jail, fake news won’t stop. What’s more worrisome is newspaper houses that are being used to spread the fake news.

They are not just mere pests, they are online bugs paid to Smear and libel irritatingly just like bedbugs.

They're also internally displaced politicians (IDP)

They are jobless nothing to do

They are online pests because they are exposing the corruption called osibanjo. Well, call them whatever suits you, we know that Osibanjo is morbidly corrupt.

In an editorial on Wednesday titled, “Need for action against online pests”, the renowned newspaper called for action against them.

And if government take action against them, it is the same media organizations that will attack the president and accuse him of stifling opposition voices.

There is a large section of the public that masturbate on fake news and propaganda. So, there is a ready market for whatever rubbish Ude, Reno etc are selling. They have a ready audience to entertain so there is really little or nothing that government can do about it.

My Joy is that those that latch on to their fake news are still in the minority. Majority of Nigerians are reasonable and discerning people who understand the uselessness of any information from irritants like Ude and Reno.

They are the enemy of this country, a new pandemic that is more powerful than COVID19, this must be urgently dealt with.

Shooyie:
Its becoming clear to everyone that these guys are paid to display such high level of ignorance. Their allegations lack facts, figures and evidence but unsuspecting Nigerians fall for stories like these. Jackson Ude even extends his irresponsibility to his pointblank news site to peddle more lies.

Reno Omokri, Jackson Ude, and their likes are encouraged by an enabling environment in Nigeria. We have a populace that is easily attracted to sentiment and bogus, sensational stories.
People are too lazy to fact check and verify what they read or hear.

GTkester:
They are online pests because they are exposing the corruption called osibanjo. Well, call them whatever suits you, we know that Osibanjo is morbidly corrupt.

Here is one of them, gullible and dumb. They don't have any fact to back their claims.

Online pests

Haha

thief timi frank that look like im.becile