May 18, (THEWILL) — Singer Adekunle Gold is facing heavy backlash online after an X user was sentenced to two years in prison over false claims about his daughter with wife, Simi.
The backlash followed the conviction of social media user, Samuel Adeboye Adeyeye, popularly known as Swanky_concept, who was sentenced on May 15, 2026, after posting false information claiming that the couple’s daughter, Deja, had died.
In one of the viral posts, he wrote: “My sincere condolences to the Adekunle family. Rip to Deja.”
Following the sentencing, many social media users dug up old tweets by Adekunle Gold in which he made controversial comments, including posts wishing death on public figures and others.
Former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore, also reacted to the case, criticising the sentence and raising concerns over freedom of expression.
On Sunday, Sowore shared an old 2012 post made by Adekunle Gold during protests against former President Goodluck Jonathan’s fuel subsidy removal policy.
In the post, the singer wrote: “Dear God, if you give us Dagrin back, we will give you Jonathan in return.”
Sowore said: “Back then, it was rightly called free speech, and if he had been arrested for those tweets, we would have been on the streets demanding his immediate release.”
He added, “How then does someone who benefited from freedom of expression turn around years later to use the police, courts, and the brutal cybercrime framework against ordinary Nigerians over online banter and social media exchanges? You cannot enjoy free speech when you are powerless and criminalise it the moment you become influential”
Sowore also said freedom of expression should apply to everyone, including celebrities, politicians and ordinary Nigerians online. He urged the Nigerian police to stop acting as a private army for the rich and asked the judiciary to stop giving harsh punishments over internet speech.
The case has sparked widespread debate online, with some Nigerians defending the sentence as a warning against cyberbullying and misinformation, while others described the punishment as too harsh for a non-violent offence.
Evi Ben Ezaga writes on entertainment, culture, and trending stories.
