The family of 18-year-old UTME candidate, Kingsley Chinanu Akunemeihe, has appealed to businessman Tony Elumelu to forgive him following his arrest over a viral social media post falsely alleging that the banker had divorced his wife, Awele.
In a video published on Sunday, May 3, 2026, Kingsley’s sister, Ngozi Akunemeihe, said he was arrested on Saturday, April 18, 2026, shortly after returning from his Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination. She said he has remained in custody since then.
According to her, the post that led to his arrest was not originally authored by him but was reshared from another user on X.
She explained that he later discovered the claim was false, deleted the post and issued a public apology.
Ngozi noted that despite the apology, her brother was detained about ten days later and is currently being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department.
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She appealed directly to Elumelu to show leniency, describing the teenager’s action as a mistake made out of ignorance.
The arrest is linked to the circulation of a false claim about a breakdown of Elumelu’s marriage, which had spread across social media platforms.
The United Bank for Africa (UBA), where Elumelu serves as Chairman, had earlier dismissed the report, describing it as false and malicious, and intended to mislead the public.
The bank also confirmed that security agencies were notified and that arrests had been made in connection with the creation and spread of the claim.
The incident has triggered debate online over the use of criminal proceedings in defamation cases, with activist Omoyele Sowore calling for the release of those detained and arguing that such matters should be handled through civil litigation rather than criminal prosecution.