Amid a viral social media post claiming that Billionaire business man, Tony Elumelu has divorced his wife Awele, the United Bank for Africa has reacted.
The bank described the publication as “fabricated, reckless, and malicious” adding that it was meant to defame the bank’s and its chairman’s reputations.
The bank revealed this in an official notification released on Sunday by Alero Ladipo, Group Head of Brand, Marketing, and Corporate Communications.
The statement read, “The attention of UBA Group has been drawn to a false, defamatory, and malicious publication currently circulating on social media platforms, falsely alleging that the Group Chairman, Mr Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, has divorced his wife.”
It further stated, “These statements and all similar content are entirely fabricated, reckless, and without basis. The claims are a deliberate falsehood designed to mislead the public and cause reputational harm.”
Additionally, the bank confirmed that security authorities had been informed and that they had already made arrests.
Among them are John Nwanorue (@problemchimky), Chigozie Ihebom, and Kingsley Akunemeihe (@Directorkem).
Consequently, it warned that it would take civil and criminal action against anyone who failed to comply and ordered that they remove and preserve any relevant materials for possible legal proceedings.
Sowore slams police over arrests
Following the arrest, human rights activists, Omoyele Sowore, has explicitly criticised the police.
He urged the Nigeria Police Force to free the detained bloggers behind the divorce report on Tony Elumelu.
Sowore contended in a Facebook post on Monday that disclosing information about a public figure’s marital status is not a crime that calls for detention or arrest.
He wrote, “We must continue to remind the Nigerian Nigeria Police Force… that it is not a criminal offense warranting arrest or detention for bloggers to report that @TonyOElumelu, Chairman of @UBAGroup, has reportedly divorced his wife.”
BACKSTORY…
Meanwhile, this comes barely one month after the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) disclosed plans to disburse over $16 million to support 3,200 young African entrepreneurs across all 54 countries on the continent in 2026, as the organisation expands partnerships and scales its flagship entrepreneurship programme.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
