Why di word 'allegedly' dey totori many Nigerians - how e take start and wetin e mean

BBC News

08-03-2025

Di word 'allegedly' become like a spreading fire for Nigeria especially for social media and you go wonder wia di history of dis word come from.
Imagine thousands of pipo wey use a particular word and dem still dey confuse on wetin di word mean for real life.
Allegedly na word wey don dey in use for plenti years bifor di birth of so many pipo, including dose wey even use am catch cruise for social media.
For Nigeria social media space, pipo begin dey add di word 'allegedly' to posts and comments wey dem make, even wen di sentence no need to get di word 'allegedly' in between. But e get why.
We go break down dis word for you, wetin e mean and who even start am for Nigeria bifor e begin dey go viral for social media.
Now listen, no be say we wan 'allegedly' break down dis word for your fun but wit our full chest we go tell you evritin you gatz know about di word including di history.
Witout big grammar, allegedly mean say you want tok somtin or make a claim but you no fit use your full chest tok am becos you no get evidence, so you hide under di word like say na hearsay.
Di word 'allegedly' dey common for media and gossip blogs wen dem no too dey sure about a case but dem report am based on say no court don rule or give verdict ontop di matter.
Na legal term wey mean a claim wey neva get proof or wey dey wait for evidence to confam if na true or not.
Who start am?
Now, no be say di word 'allegedly' dey new for Nigeria or dem neva hear am bifor, but in recent days, di word find imsef dey trend for social media.
So, who start am and how e take start? Make we narrate give you.
Remember say one saga bin takeova Nigeria for a little period wen popular Nigerian music icon Innocent Idibia wey pipo sabi as Tuface bin come out to tok about divorce mata of im wife, Annie Idibia.
For Sunday, 26 January, 2025, na shock and surprise bin meet di fans of Tuface wen e reveal say im and im wife of ova 10 years don separate for sometimes now and dem dey wait for divorce.
Dis announcement na ontop Instagram e drop am and di mata go far as both blogs and mainstream media for Nigeria report di mata.
Calm down for di next drama wey sup.
Immediately, afta di divorce saga bin come, anoda report kon say Tuface don find anoda woman wey e wan marry. And e publicly release video to tok about am.
Na dia plenti tori dey fly upandan wit bloggers wey begin dey 'allege' so many tins say Tuface newly found lover na di reason why e dey divorce im oda wife.
Plenti blogs and bloggers begin dey use di word 'allegedly' to describe wetin dey happun for Tuface life, im divorce mata and di new lover.
Again, Tuface set ring light to address di mata. Na here e first start dey use di word 'allegedly'.
For di first two sentences wey e tok for di video, e say, "So allegedly I don dey see so many tins."
You go dey wonder why pesin dey use di word 'allegedly' for im own mata, but na wetin social media don use im eyes see be dat.
Full words of wetin Tuface tok for im video wey make di word 'allegedly' begin go viral for social media:
"Hey my pipo wetin dey sup? So allegedly I don dey see so many tins. So many pipo dey come up wit dia own false narratives and malicious nonsense afta I post wetin I post. Yes, I post wetin I post and any pesin wey get brain go understand."
"For all of di pipo wey dey tok different stuff but dem no get absolute clue about wetin dey go on, I hail una oh, una life perfect die. See evribodi go dey alright, fight no dey, quarrel no dey - I tok wetin I tok."
"I see evribodi allegedly trying to put her in to di mata."
"So, allegedly evribodi wey dey tok stuff allegedly, keep alleging, we go continue alleging. You dey allowed to put mouth and tok wetin you feel, but please wen you wan allege make sure say you sabi wetin you dey allege. I go ask Congress to do somtin ontop dis alleging."
"Evribodi dey hide behind allege to just say anytin wey dem wan tok, embarrassing pipo upandan. We gatz do somtin ontop dis allege, if you no sabi somtin, no tok am, no even quote pesin. I don give una food again, make una continue to dey allege. We go meet for somwia."
Dis na di beginning of how social media pipo take carry di mata turn into a viral slang for comment sections and posts wey dem make.
You go see pesin dey comment for anoda pesin post dey tell am say 'you no dey add allegedly oh'.
Now you know who start di use of 'allegedly' wey Nigeria pipo for social media begin dey add to evri comment, although, di word no new.
Origin of di word 'allegedly'
According to Merriam Webster, di first known time wey dem use di word 'alleged' na for 1509, while Oxford English Dictionary say di first use of di word 'alleged' na from around 1425.
Alleged na di adjective of allegedly. Allegedly na adverb.
More digging show say di word 'allegedly' first begin dey in use from di 1800s.
Allege, alleged, allegedly and allegation na from same family of words wey come from di Latin verb around 1300.
Di Latin verb na allēgāre, wey mean to "bring forward as evidence." Dis word dey used in legal terms wey you dey make accusation wey neva dey proven for any court of law.
Oda forms wey dey related to allegedly:
Wetin law tok about am?
We carry dis mata go meet legal pipo to know weda if pesin use 'allegedly' for any accusation, law go fit catch am.
Some pipo dey tink say using 'allegedly' go save dem from lawsuit. Well, dey play. Lawyers tell us say even if you use di word, di law still fit carry you go prison for defamation.
According to constitutional lawyer and Partner at FOLegal, Festus Ogun, e say di word 'allegedly' no fit completely save pesin from defamation lawsuit. E add say if pesin make allegation wey dey false and dey use allegedly cover up, di pesin no dey safe.
"Spreading a knowingly false information under di guise of "allegedly" no go save a defendant from legal liability."
Dis mean say pesin fit do jail, even though e use allegedly defame anoda pesin character.
Anoda legal sabi pesin, A.B Mutairu, say di word allegedly gain popularity for social media as pipo dey tink say e go protect dem from defamation.
E add say na di intent mata, no be di form wey di word take come.
"Di usage of di word allegedly no go save one from being sued for defamation. Di law no dey work like dat.
"Pesin no fit tok somtin knowing fully well say dat kain tin na lie and yet rely on di word allegedly as a cover up. If your statement dey defamatory, allegedly no fit save you," Ogun tok.
Gbam, now you don hear am - even if you use di word 'allegedly' for your allegations, e no go save you from lawsuit.