A Canadian-Nigerian woman, Amaka Sonnberger, is set to appear in court on Monday, September 2, 2024, following her arrest by Toronto Police for allegedly making hate-motivated threats against members of the Nigerian community.
The 46-year-old was apprehended on Sunday after a police investigation into online content she allegedly posted on August 25, 2024.
The content reportedly contained threats of violence targeting specific members of the Nigerian community.
Sonnberger has been charged with uttering threats and will face a judge at the Ontario Court of Justice. The Toronto Police Hate Crime Unit is involved in the investigation, as the case is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence.
In a statement released on Sunday, titled “Suspected Hate-Motivated Threatening Investigation, Woman Arrested,” the Toronto Police Service outlined the details of the case. The statement read, “Toronto Police have arrested a woman in connection with a suspected hate-motivated threat investigation. The arrest follows a report received on August 28, 2024, regarding a threatening incident. Authorities allege that on or around August 25, 2024, Amaka Sonnberger, 46, of Toronto, posted online content threatening the lives of specific members of the Nigerian community.
“Sonnberger was taken into custody on September 1, 2024, and has been charged with uttering threats. She is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, September 2, 2024, at the Ontario Court of Justice, located at 2201 Finch Avenue West.”
The incident that led to Sonnberger’s arrest gained widespread attention after a video clip began circulating on social media last Tuesday.
In the video, a woman’s voice, speaking primarily in Pidgin English, made derogatory and threatening comments aimed at Nigerians of Yoruba and Benin descent.
The woman was heard saying, “Record me very well; it’s time to start poisoning the Yoruba and the Benin. Put poison for all una food for work. Put poison for una water, make una dey kpai one by one.”
The video sparked outrage among Nigerians, who flooded social media with demands for Sonnberger’s arrest and that of her accomplices for inciting violence against other Nigerians.
