What began as a routine day on Nigerian Twitter has spiralled into an unusual legal drama involving a prominent Web3 influencer and a senior government official.

Salako, a well-known figure in Nigeria’s online Web3 community, has filed a lawsuit against Hon. #AbikeDabiri-Erewa , Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission #NiDCOM and former House of Representatives member, after she blocked him on Twitter (now X).

The Online Clash

The controversy started when Salako resurfaced one of Dabiri-Erewa’s old tweets from June 2024. In it, she had called for “naming and shaming” Nigerians engaged in criminal activity abroad. Salako accused her of profiling Nigerians in negative terms and shared several screenshots to highlight inconsistencies in her public statements.

The thread quickly went viral. Within hours, Dabiri-Erewa deleted the original tweet and blocked Salako, a move that only amplified the storm. “I dey diaspora, and the Chairman of all of us wey dey diaspora don block me. Chai,” Salako posted afterwards — triggering another wave of reactions, memes and heated debates across the platform.

Support and Criticism

The backlash was fierce. Some users accused Dabiri-Erewa of hypocrisy, while others defended her reputation. Supporters argued she had consistently promoted Nigeria’s image abroad. “No amount of propaganda can stain your garment,” one user wrote in her defence.

Still, the decision to block Salako appeared to inflame tensions rather than resolve them.

The Lawsuit

The matter has now shifted from social media to the courtroom. Through his legal team at Omokomo Chambers, Salako is demanding damages totalling ₦15 billion for what he describes as “psychological torment” and “diasporan embarrassment” caused by the block.

In a tongue-in-cheek but formally structured legal letter, his counsel alleged that the act amounted to a breach of constitutional rights, particularly the right to freedom of expression. The letter further demanded a public apology — to be pinned on Dabiri-Erewa’s Twitter account for 30 days — and an injunction preventing her from blocking him again.

Failure to comply, the lawyers warned, could lead to a class action on behalf of other Nigerians in the diaspora who have been blocked.

A Digital Age Dispute

While blocking users on social media is common, this lawsuit raises questions about how political figures engage with criticism online. It also highlights the increasingly blurred lines between digital disputes and legal action in Nigeria’s public space.

For now, Dabiri-Erewa has not publicly responded to the lawsuit. But with Twitter debates still raging and the courts now potentially involved, this unlikely clash between diaspora advocacy and digital rights is far from over.