Canadian sisters detained in Lagos, Nigeria for allegedly extorting a local billionaire and cyber-bullying hundreds of others have issued an apology.
In the video shared online by news website Politics Nigeria, Kiran and Jyoti Matharoo stand in all black as one of them reads a statement from the screen of a cellphone.
“We apologize to Femi Otedola and his family, especially his wife and children and all the other petitioners,” the statement begins.
“We created a platform called NaijaGistLive.com and .co where people can send in stories,” the statement continues. “Most stories were sent by close friends or associates of people being written about.”
“The intention was not to hurt anyone or to be malicious,” the statement goes on. “The intention was not to extort anyone. We haven’t received any money from this website.”
The Matharoos have been accused of allegedly trying to blackmail billionaire Femi Otedola, with claims they had evidence of him cheating on his wife.
The sisters, who are from Toronto, are also reportedly accused of cyber-bullying more than 200 people based in various regions of Africa.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed to CTV News Tuesday that consular services are being provided to “the Canadian citizens who have been detained in Lagos, Nigeria.” However, the statement did not provide any more details, such as detained individuals’ identities, citing privacy concerns.
The Matharoo sisters have posted photos of their lavish lifestyle to Instagram, where their followers number in the thousands.
According to Politics Nigeria, the sisters appeared in court on Dec. 23. The website says their next scheduled court appearance will be on Jan. 26.
