Debunked: Claim of 10-Year Prison Sentence for Women Who Sleep With Married Men in Akwa Ibom Is False!

BY: Abdulraheem Muhammed

A claim circulating widely on social media alleges that the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly is set to pass a law sentencing women to 10 years’ imprisonment for engaging in sexual relationships with married men. FactCheckAfrica investigated the claim.

Claim:

A viral post alleges that the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly would, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, pass a bill prohibiting women from sleeping with married men.

According to the claim, the bill, allegedly sponsored by the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, would impose a 10-year prison sentence without an option of a fine on any young girl, lady, or woman found guilty, while the married man involved would pay a ₦2 million fine.

The claim is attributed to a lawyer and farmer identified as Obiavel Albert Abigo Esq.

Verdict:

False!

Full Text:

On Monday, January 12, 2025, a post went viral across social media platforms claiming that the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly was set to criminalise sexual relationships between women and married men.

The post stated:

“Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly will on Tuesday 13th January 2026 pass into law that sleeping with married men is prohibited. The bill sponsored by the Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Senator Akon Inyang, will on Tuesday pass into law by the AKS House of Assembly. The bill stated that any young girl, lady or woman caught sleeping with a married man will go to prison for 10 years imprisonment without any fine, while the man in question will pay a fine of 2 million naira. This is according to a lawyer/Farmer Obiavel Albert Abigo Esq.”

The claim spread rapidly on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and blogs, gaining traction among users and being amplified by popular platforms such as Intel Region, Instablog, and Daily Report, despite the absence of verification.

Verification:

FactCheckAfrica conducted multiple checks to verify the authenticity of the claim. The claim was attributed to Obiavel Albert Abigo Esq., identified online as a Nigerian lawyer and farmer popularly known on Facebook as Hon. Bar. Farmer. While he is known for sharing legal and agricultural content, FactCheckAfrica found no verifiable post from him confirming authorship of the viral claim. At the time of verification, his Facebook page was inaccessible, displaying the notice:

 “This content isn’t available right now… it’s usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it’s been deleted.”

This raises serious doubts about the credibility and origin of the claim as circulated by bloggers.

Official Government Response:

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly officially debunked the claim through a press release signed by Hon. Anson Jerry Olu (Elder), categorically stating that no such bill exists or is under consideration.

Additionally, the Akwa Ibom State Government issued an official press release on January 12, 2026, distancing itself from the viral claim and denying any link between the allegation and the Deputy Governor.

The statement, signed by Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, Commissioner for Information, described the claim as “entirely false, misleading, and without any factual basis.” The government clarified that:

• The Deputy Governor has not sponsored any bill in the State House of Assembly.
• As a member of the State Executive Council, the Deputy Governor cannot independently sponsor bills.
• Any executive bill must be deliberated upon and approved by the council before transmission to the legislature.
• The viral report did not originate from any official government channel.

The Office of the Deputy Governor also released a separate disclaimer, signed by Omen Bassey, Press Secretary, stating unequivocally that Senator Akon Eyakenyi has not sponsored any bill and is not aware of any such legislation.

The statement urged the public to disregard the report in its entirety and rely solely on official communication channels for verified information.

Conclusion:

The claim that the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly is set to pass a law sentencing women to 10 years’ imprisonment for sleeping with married men is completely false.

Multiple official statements from the State Government, House of Assembly, and the Office of the Deputy Governor have categorically debunked the allegation. The claim originated from unverifiable social media posts and was amplified by blogs without confirmation.

Members of the public are advised to treat sensational claims with caution and rely on verified government sources for accurate legislative information.