- Amaka Sonnberger was arrested by the Toronto Police on Sunday, September 1 and is to appear in court on Monday, September 2
- She was charged with uttering hate-motivated threats against the Nigerian community
- Nigerians react, some think she deserves to face the law, others think it’s unfair
The Canadian-Nigerian woman, Amaka Sonnberger, who threatened the lives of Nigerians in Canada has been arrested and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, September 2.
Sonberger was arrested by the Toronto Police on Sunday, September 1, for allegedly making hate-motivated threats against the Nigerian community.
She was arrested following an investigation into her TikTok Live video where she threatened to poison Yoruba and Edo people in her workplace in Canada.
According to Punch, “she is scheduled to face a judge at the Ontario Court of Justice and the case is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence, with the Toronto Police Hate Crime Unit involved in the investigation.
“Toronto Police Service, in an early Monday morning statement dated Sept. 1 on its website titled, “Suspected Hate-Motivated Threatening Investigation, Woman Arrested,” revealed this.
“It read, “Toronto Police have arrested a woman in connection with a suspected hate-motivated threat investigation. The arrest follows a report received on August 28, 2024, regarding a threatening incident. Authorities allege that on or around August 25, 2024, Amaka Sonnberger, 46, of Toronto, posted online content threatening the lives of specific members of the Nigerian community.
“Sonnberger was taken into custody on September 1, 2024, and has been charged with uttering threats. She is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, September 2, 2024, at the Ontario Court of Justice, located at 2201 Finch Avenue West.
“The investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence. Police are urging anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-3500 or reach out anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.222tips.com.”
“Hate-motivated crimes
According to the statement, TPS said that hate-motivated crimes may involve consultation with the Crown, and if convicted, hate is considered an aggravating factor in sentencing.
“It added that hate speech charges, such as promoting hatred or advocating genocide, require the Attorney General’s consent and are often delayed.
“When suspected hate-motivated offences are reported to police, the investigation could be led by a Divisional Investigator with the support of the Hate Crime Unit (HCU), or in some cases, will be investigated exclusively by the HCU.”
Nigerians react to Sonnberger’s arrest
Some Nigerians believe she deserves to face the law for her actions and others think her arrest is unfair because other Nigerians have done the same thing she is guilty of and haven’t been arrested.
Here are some of the comments:
@Irunnia_ posted: “You already escaped Nigeria. You reached abroad and continued your nonsense tribalistic behavior,They're doing some people from village.”
@EErhauyi posted: “This serves her right. This will serve as a lesson for other people to learn to keep their mouth shut. Politics is not a do or die affair, Just because your preferred candidate didn’t win does not mean you have to hate on others..”
@Doniiz_ posted: “Government that know what they are doing are acting fast. She needs to be interrogated and made to face the law. If it was in Nigeria, police will tell you that mc oluoma was joking and “let’s kpai all the Igbos” shouldn’t be taken serious.”
@CuriousCourtnie posted: ““I’m a Canadian citizen” 😂😂😂 someone that doesn’t know her citizenship can be revoked.”
@ibukun_tayo posted: “Everyone should be mindful of what they say on sôcial mèdia.”
@espeezeal posted: “Imagine living in a civilized country and you're still stupid enough to threaten genocide on the internet 🤦♂️ Good for her. Evil woman.”
@flourish007 posted: “That's a country where the rule of law prevails. In Lagos, many thugs did the same thing and got away with it simply because they support the ruling party, and our police dismissed it as a "joke." Unfortunately, many in Nigeria don't want us to compare our situation with that of a more stable environment. But here's one key difference: you can't threaten to kill people and escape justice.”
@lee_zamba posted: “I don’t support her, but I think the battle line has just been drawn because there are so many yoruba people living abroad that has also spewed more hates and vile comments too…The igbos should start reporting them too 💯”
@osamuyi90 posted: “People living abroad don't understand that the west no de tolerate hate speech, this same woman has been bragging on the internet say she Canadian pikin, to make matter worst she is disability care worker now to get work go be wahala.”
@john_gwong posted: “The Rich Igbos and Yorubas are making friends, marrying themselves, enjoying life while the average and poor Igbos and Yorubas are busy fighting each other... Una mind no go touch ground I swear.”
Nigerians criticise Peter Obi as he condemns Amaka Sonnberger for “hateful statement”
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, came under fire on social media for terming Sunnberger’s threats to the life of Nigerians in Canada a hateful statement.
Two days after the Igbo woman who threatened the lives of Yoruba and Edo people in Canada surfaced on the internet, Peter Obi condemned the woman’s actions in a post on his X account, @PeterObi.