Since 2023, crimes committed on social media took another level in Rwanda. They increased significantly because many people had just started using social media improperly to make money or gain other benefits.
Some of the most common crimes were mostly seen among celebrities on these platforms. These included defamation, spreading pornographic videos, blackmail, extortion, distribution of substandard drugs, promoting child abuse, stalking, spreading rumors, and many others.
After the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) observed this situation, it introduced several measures aimed at preventing these technology-related crimes, especially those committed on social media. Among these measures were the fight against online defamation, tackling extortion, combating the promotion of substandard and harmful drugs, preventing gender-based violence on social platforms, fighting the sharing of pornographic videos, and more.
As a result of these measures, many people were investigated and arrested for some of these online crimes. For example, do you remember the young man who called himself Ntama w’Imana on the platform X (formerly Twitter)? In 2023, he used his Twitter account to encourage people to have sex with underage children, saying they were better at bedroom duties. He posted, “Mujye mwirira utwana duto nitwo tuzi kubinoza neza.” Ntama w’Imana did it thinking it was normal, but in reality, it was a crime.
RIB noticed, tracked him down, and arrested him. A few days later, RIB announced his arrest for encouraging child abuse. Ntama w’Imana was ordered to delete the post, publish another one apologizing, and remind people that having sex with underage children is a crime. He spent three days being counseled by RIB about his wrongdoing and was later released. Since then, he never repeated such crimes online after realizing their consequences.
Later, many others were also arrested for spreading pornography, defamation, insults, promoting substandard drugs, spreading hate speech, committing political crimes, and many more.
Another example: do you remember journalist Jean Paul who was jailed for insulting Miss Rwanda 2016 Jolly Mutesi? Or Fatakumavuta who was arrested for repeatedly harassing celebrities like The Ben, Meddy, and others? Or the girl who was jailed after posting a nude photo of herself on social media? Or the group of boys and girls, including Emelyne known as Ishanga, who were arrested for spreading pornographic videos on social media? In short, many people were prosecuted after committing crimes online.
After all these events, the spokesperson of RIB, Dr. Murangira B Thierry, announced that the awareness campaigns reminding people to avoid social media crimes had a strong impact. Comparing 2023–2024 with 2025, such crimes have significantly decreased, which is something to celebrate.
He made these remarks while giving a message to the audience at the MTN Iwacu na Muzika Festival in Rubavu District on August 16, 2025. He said: “The campaign has worked. Last year around this time, someone had been arrested for misusing social media. But now there is none. You can see that people are starting to understand. Rwandans are enlightened, we love that about them, they are getting the message—let’s keep it that way.”
Dr. Murangira also reminded people to use social media positively for their own benefit instead of committing crimes. He emphasized that using social media for crimes is like inviting RIB to come to you. He said: “Social media was created for good use, not for committing crimes, and not for attacking others. If you use it to harass people, we will not remain silent—we will reach you. […] If you use social media to commit crimes, it is an invitation to RIB, and if you invite us, we will come, even though that is not our main goal.”
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