Behind Bars

Behind Bars

It’s polite, and possibly also advantageous, to abide by the customs of a society when one is a visitor, hence the saying, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” but one Nigerian man has gotten himself in trouble after refusing to abide by the customs of Swaziland.

Uche Okechukwu, 27, is currently facing prison sentence after being charged by police for insulting the King of Swaziland’s (King Mswati) dog on Facebook.

As reported by our correspondent in Swaziland, there was a post including three photos on Uche’s Facebook page on December 13 with a message that insulted the king’s dog, an intensification of the royal defamation law.

“In my entire life, I haven’t seen an ugly dog like this before. The owner of this thing must really be ashamed of keeping it in his/her house. If I see it anywhere, I swear I’ll poison it,” the Facebook post reads.

Uche also faces computer crime charges for clicking “like” and sharing a doctored photo of the dog. According to law experts, Uche could face up to 60 years in prison for disrespecting the king’s favorite dog.

Swaziland has one of the world’s harshest royal defamation laws. Anyone convicted of insulting the revered King, queen, heir, and dog can face up to 25 years in jail on each count.

Over the last decade his favourite dog, an adopted stray called Tiger which is praised for her loyalty and obedience, has been used to outline his vision of how Swazis should behave.

 



SL StaffOMGShocking NewsKing Mswati III,Nigerian Man In Swaziland Faces Prison Sentence for Insulting King Mswati III’s Dog
It’s polite, and possibly also advantageous, to abide by the customs of a society when one is a visitor, hence the saying, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” but one Nigerian man has gotten himself in trouble after refusing to abide by the customs of Swaziland. Uche Okechukwu,...