Rev Abel Damina threatens to sue Think Akwa Ibom! for publishing daughter’s beautiful photos

By Nse Peter

A pastor in Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Abel Damina has threatened to file a lawsuit against Think Akwa Ibom! blog for publishing photographs of his 22-year old daughter, Jesimiel.

The blog had on Saturday, October 10, 2015, published 11 photographs of Jesimiel Damina with the headline ‘Awesome photos of Rev Abel Damina’s beautiful daughter, Jesimiel’. The photographs, including Jesimiel’s graduation photos at Full Sail University, Florida, United States, were lifted from her Facebook page by Think Akwa Ibom!

Dr. Damina who is the founder/Senior Pastor, Power City International, Uyo, said that the publication of the photographs by Think Akwa Ibom! violates her daughter’s right to privacy, and that they should be taken off the blog immediately.

“Those photos have not been officially released to you or your organization and you don't have the rights to them. This is directive is from Dr Abel Damina ‎that you remove the post immediately to avoid legal actions,” Mercy Titus who claimed to be Damina’s office assistant said in an email sent to Think Akwa Ibom! on Thursday, October 15, 2015.

Think Akwa Ibom! says it won’t take down the post as demanded by the pastor.

“Tell Dr. Damina, we are sorry to disappoint him: we won’t take down the post from our blog. He can go to court,” Mr. Nse Peter, the editor of Think Akwa Ibom! said in his response to Damina’s email.

Mr. Peter went on to explain why the blog won’t give in to Damina’s demand: “When you share your photographs on Facebook, it must be because you want the public to see and probably appreciate them, as well as tell others about you and your photographs. Therefore, it would be wrong, absolutely, for the same person who posted her photographs on Facebook to turn around and claim the right to privacy over the same photographs she personally posted on the social networking site.

“What was Jesimiel thinking when she posted those photographs on her Facebook page? What harm have we caused her or her family by publishing those beautiful photographs of hers?

“Think Akwa Ibom! didn’t sneak into Jesimiel Damina’s bedroom to take the photographs from her personal computer; we copied them from her Facebook page and have properly credited those photographs to her. We only helped her to share her photos to our readers, which we feel Dr. Damina and her daughter, Jesimiel ought to thank us for doing just that.”

Screenshot of Jesimiel Damina's Facebook page showing one of the photos that was lifted by Think Akwa Ibom!