X (formerly Twitter) has slammed 69-year-old Lauretta Onochie, past Chairman of the Governing Board, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for posting fake news just to demonise Igbos and cause tribal crisis.
Onochie, former Special Assistant on Social Media to former President Muhammadu Buhari, was slammed with a Community Notes after posting a photo of a United States Congresswoman, Nikema Williams, in handcuffs, claiming it was Amaka, the women alleged to have posted on social media that she will poison Nigerians in Canada.
In her social media (X) post on Wednesday evening, Onochie wrote:
“You don’t open your mouth anyhow in a society where the Police knows their job and work without interference.
“Amaka will now explain to the Police her devious plans to poison innocent Nigerians. She went too far with her #Obidiocy.”
You don't open your mouth anyhow in a society where the Police knows their job and work without interference.
Amaka will now explain to the Police her devious plans to poison innocent Nigerians. She went too far with her #Obidiocy. pic.twitter.com/P1tmyLINzH
— Lauretta Onochie (@Laurestar) September 4, 2024
Shortly after the post, Community Notes (@CommunityNotes), created to detect fake news and misinformation on X, slammed Onochie’s post, saying she is using her handle to deliberately misinform people in a bid to cause an ethnic argument.
“This handle is deliberately misinforming people in a bid to cause an ethnic argument. The woman in this photo is not Amaka, she was a senator in the US and the incident happened in 2018,” the Community Notes on Onochie’s post read.
The links from the Community Notes directed to a post by Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) on 13 November 2018, when Nikema, then a Senator, was arrested and detained for demonstrating with her constituents.
“I was not yelling. I was not chanting. I stood peacefully next to my constituents because they wanted their voices to be heard.” Georgia State Senator @NikemaForSenate is detained as demonstrators chant “count every vote.”
“I was not yelling. I was not chanting. I stood peacefully next to my constituents because they wanted their voices to be heard.” Georgia state senator @NikemaForSenate is detained as demonstrators chant “count every vote.” https://t.co/JqgknpIQtZ #gapol pic.twitter.com/7iOggbzYjK
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) November 13, 2018
The X Community Notes also linked to a publication by AJC.
CONVERSEER reports that Onochie and some Nigerians, have turned the Canadian incident to a tribal warfare, claiming the viral TikTok video from Amaka Sonnberger (@Anyi_Anambra7) is from an Igbo person.
Meanwhile, our Reporter has detected that the accent is not Igbo. Watch the video below:
A very disturbing video of some Nigerians on Tiktok planning the de@th of other Nigerians in Canada 🇨🇦. This post is for awareness purposes only. Be careful out there folks.
📺 IG/Eddyosaman pic.twitter.com/uVRliP7voK
— Dami’ Adenuga (@DAMIADENUGA) August 27, 2024
On 2nd September 2024, the Toronto Police said they arrested a woman linked to the hate speech.
News Release – Suspected Hate-Motivated Threatening Investigation, Woman Arrested,https://t.co/fOgUmABndH pic.twitter.com/yyKqx6O57o
— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) September 2, 2024
According to a statement by Constable Laura Brabant for Detective Kelly Lukas, 46-year-old Amaka Sonnberger was arrested in connection to the hate-motivated video.
“The Toronto Police Service is making the public aware of an arrest made in a suspected hate-motivated threatening investigation.
“On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, Toronto Police received a call for a threatening incident.
“It is alleged that the accused posted online content on or about August 25, 2024, threatening death to specific members of the Nigerian community.
“On Sunday, September 1, 2024, Toronto Police arrested Amaka Sonnberger, 46, of Toronto.
“She has been charged with ‘Uttering Threats.’
“This investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence,” the statement read in part.
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