$43 million found in a Lagos apartment has created a lot of buzz, plenty people claiming and plenty others denying. People pointing fingers indiscriminately, it has become so messy that we can be pretty sure that money may be long gone by now for all we know. Ara o kii tan ni ile alara, Nigeria is a constant house of commotion. We don’t even know where to start packing the mess from.

Following the NIA’s claim that the money is theirs, Mr. Femi Fani Kayode and Lere Olayinka (aide to Gov. Fayose) have fingered the wrong person in the wrong places.

Apart from the fact that both personalities claimed that Sen. Rotimi Amaechi owns the money in the flat,  Olayinka went a notch higher. He claimed to be privy to a link between Mr. Amaechi and Mo Abudu, his Facebook post claims that the former River state governor rented the apartment for Ms Abudu.

I remember sharing some links about defamation laws in Nigeria and some ignorant ones went about making jokes. Today, the Aviation Minister is currently suing FFK and Olayinka. They could collectively be fined close to ₦1.5bn. He has also demanded apologies which would be published in national dailies and on social media networks. This may sound like empty threats but it would be oh-such-fun to watch how this eventually plays out. Maybe Nigerians will learn that there are repercussions for spreading false rumours about people,  or on the other hand, maybe they will stand by their words and give us evidence.

Facebook and twitter handles have turned to playthings for many. Nigerians take a lot of things for granted. Don’t mention names or use people’s pictures, don’t drag people’s families into your rants. If you do not have the right information, just shut up. The fact that social media is free does not mean one has a license to mis-yarn. Just stick to things you know or subs – y’know…subs and shades. ?