The family of 18-year-old social media user, Kingsley Akunemeihe, has appealed to billionaire businessman Tony Elumelu to forgive the teenager following his arrest over a viral social media post falsely claiming that the entrepreneur had divorced his wife, Awele Elumelu.
In an emotional video shared on Instagram, Kingsley’s sister, Ngozi Akunemeihe, said her younger brother was arrested shortly after sitting for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
According to her, the teenager had reposted a claim on X, formerly known as Twitter, alleging that Elumelu had separated from his wife without knowing the information was false.
She said Kingsley was arrested on April 18 while returning from his examination and had remained in detention for about 10 days.
Ngozi explained that after other social media users informed him that the post was false and defamatory, the teenager reportedly deleted the post and issued a public apology on his social media handle.
Appealing directly to Elumelu, she urged the businessman to show mercy and withdraw the complaint, describing her brother as a teenager who acted out of ignorance and had shown remorse.
The controversy began after a viral claim circulated online alleging that Elumelu had ended his marriage, prompting a swift reaction from United Bank for Africa, where Elumelu serves as Group Chairman.
In a statement issued by the bank’s Group Head of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Alero Ladipo, UBA described the report as false, defamatory, malicious, and entirely fabricated.
The bank said the publication was deliberately designed to mislead the public and damage the reputation of both Elumelu and the institution.
UBA further confirmed that security agencies had been notified and that three individuals linked to the creation and dissemination of the false claims had been arrested.
Those identified by the bank include Kingsley Akunemeihe, Chigozie Ihebom, and John Nwanorue.
The bank added that investigations were ongoing and warned individuals, platforms, and entities involved in publishing, reposting, or circulating the content to immediately desist, stating that failure to comply could result in both civil and criminal proceedings.
However, the teenager’s arrest has sparked mixed reactions online, with some Nigerians sympathising with his family, while others dug up old posts allegedly linked to Kingsley’s social media account, accusing him of repeatedly spreading false celebrity and entertainment rumours.
