Nigerians woke up on Monday to the video of a young TikToker, Abigail Nsuka, aka Mirabel, claiming that she had been raped in her apartment in the early hours of Sunday, February 15.
Within hours, the video had gone viral across social media platforms as thousands, including popular artiste, Simi, demanded justice for her.
Findings showed that Mirabel did not only win sympathisers, she also made a lot of money after sharing her account details until the bubble burst.
She is now in the custody of the Ogun State Police Command.
Wild rape claim
In an emotional post, Mirabel, amid sobs, had claimed she was raped by an invader around 9am.
She said, “I have insomnia. If I’m not drunk or high, I can’t sleep. So, on Saturday, I drank, and it wasn’t working. But I needed to be high enough so I could sleep.
“My eyes were tired, but I couldn’t sleep. I slept around 6am, and around 9am, I heard someone knocking on my door. I thought it was one of my neighbours because it was Sunday morning. Most of them would have gone to church, or maybe one of them wanted to ask for something. I stood up. I had a headache.
“I was still drunk and had a headache. Immediately I opened the door, I was pushed back. Before I got to my door, there was my fridge, and a few steps forward was the door. I hit my head on the fridge when I was pushed back, and I passed out. When I opened my eyes, there was a man over me.
“There was a cloth tucked in my mouth, and I was tied. I was just there mumbling, hoping somebody could hear me. It was Sunday, and most people would have gone to church; even the neighbour close to me had gone to church. Those were the only people who might faintly hear me mumbling.”
She claimed the attacker inserted a blade in her private parts to make her bleed.
“Later on, I was bleeding. I didn’t know why I was bleeding. I thought I got my period. The person texted me. It turns out this person inserted a face blade into my body and cut me so I could bleed,” she added.
The graphic details riled up many Nigerians as people shared the video.
Advocacy groups also showed readiness to take up her case.
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and the Ogun State Government indicated interest in ensuring justice was served.
The donations
Social media influencer, Martins Otse, aka Very Dark Man, claimed that he transferred N100,000 to her account, explaining that he initially intended to send N500,000 but her bank could not receive the money.
One of Mirabel’s friends, identified as Ifedolapo, said another person sent N200,000 to the account.
Ifedolapo also confirmed that N100,000 and N300,000 were also received separately into the bank account.
Many social media users said they had sent varying amounts to the account number.
An influencer, known as Immunizer, alleged that Mirabel made between N1m and N5m from sympathisers.
The controversies
Mirabel’s video had over seven million views and trended for days until some individuals began probing her claims.
Netizens such as Immunizer analysed the pattern of her claims and concluded that she made everything up.
They pointed out that her writing style was similar to the messages she claimed the rapist sent to her.
One of Mirabel’s neighbours also dismissed her claim that she drank Sniper in a suicide attempt, saying nothing of the sort happened.
Amid the backlash, a YouTuber, Vick TV, alleged that the story was concocted to raise funds to renew her rent.
Dramatic U-turn
As the heat was turned on, her friends began backing out, saying they were never part of the scheme.
Mirabel, in a recorded audio conversation with VDM, also admitted that she made it all up.
“I used to masturbate, and I’m a lesbian. I often self-harm when I have panic attacks. It might be a hallucination,” she said in the audio clip.
She admitted that she created a separate TikTok account to send herself messages to make it appear as though a rapist had contacted her.
The reported confession stunned supporters who had amplified her story and donated money.
As the confession circulated, public sympathy quickly turned to anger.
Several Nigerians who donated money demanded refunds as many expressed concern about the wider impact of a false rape claim, noting that such allegations could undermine the credibility of real victims.
One user wrote that many Nigerians were in prison due to false accusations, while another argued that genuine rape survivors often struggle to speak up.
The Founder and Executive Director of Project Alert on Violence Against Women, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, slammed Mirabel for making false claims.
In a post on Facebook, she demanded that she be prosecuted for making light of a serious offence.
She wrote, “What nonsense is this? Does she think rape is something to joke about, chase clout and make money from? Does she realise that her irresponsible action can negatively affect real victims?
“As women’s right activists, we are are still dealing with secondary victimisation (blaming, shaming, ridiculling and poor response by the police) and then this reckless and badly behaved young girl pulls this stunt. Criminal this is. What’s wrong with people? Please let her face the full wrath of the law for owning up to lying.”
The Coordinator of the Lagos State Domestic Violence Response Team, Lola Adeniyi, in a statement on X, warned that false claims and misinformation could erode public trust and make it harder for genuine survivors to be believed, while cautioning against creating an atmosphere that silences real victims.
“Justice requires truth, evidence and due process,” the agency stated.
Punishment for false rape claim
Mirabel may face trial for the criminal offence of giving false information, which attracts a three-year jail term under Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015.
Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act provides that if someone knowingly sends false information via social media, email or online platforms and it causes annoyance, danger, insult, criminal intimidation, hatred or needless anxiety, such a person is liable to three years’ imprisonment, a N7m fine, or both.
This law has been widely used against bloggers and social media users.
A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said Mirabel could be prosecuted.
He said, “If she had reported the matter earlier to the police, and it is later found to be false, she can also be charged with giving false information to the police.
“In the event of conviction, she may go to jail. My position is that people who come out to make false accusations of rape should be severely punished. It is a matter the legislature should look at.
“The effect is that it discourages genuine victims from coming out and makes it hard for the public to believe those who are actually victims of rape. That sort of behaviour is reprehensible and stands condemned.”
Also, the Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, Omenazu Jackson, described the Tiktoker’s actions as both “a criminal offence and a social crime.”
The lawyer said, “It is punishable to give false information to the public. That is deception, and it is punishable under the law because such information can cause public outcry and disturbances.
“So, it behooves any citizen to give correct information to the public. The law frowns on it seriously. The law states she can suffer imprisonment for such a false alarm.
“She must be prosecuted so that others will not give false information next time. This is to ensure that information given to the public is verifiable. In the criminal justice system, the onus of proof lies on the prosecution.”
The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Oluseyi Babaseyi , said Mirabel had been discharged from the hospital where she was admitted, adding that she was in police custody.
He declined to comment when asked if she would be prosecuted for raising false alarm.
(Punch)
