Spend enough time scrolling on X (formerly Twitter), and you’ll quickly realise outrage is the internet’s most reliable fuel. One week it’s politics, the next it’s celebrity scandals, and now, false rape accusations.
In the past few weeks leading up to late September 2025, timelines have been ablaze with heated threads, hot takes, and hashtags like #JusticeForMen on the subject. Some argue women rarely lie about rape, others insist false claims are far more common than society admits. In between are heart-wrenching stories, angry rebuttals, and, of course, the meme-makers who never waste a crisis.
But this is no small debate. The issue of false rape accusations cuts to the bone of justice, gender relations, and the fragile fabric of trust in society. And, as with all things internet, a single spark turned into a bonfire.
This topic starts with Vivian Okeke, known online as “Chibbiedivah.” In a now-viral video, Vivian allegedly suggested that women should consider accusing men of rape if they gave off “rapey vibes” or simply upset them. No need for evidence, no need for context, just drop the nuclear bomb of a false rape claim. Whether she meant it as satire, provocation, or pure spite, the internet wasn’t buying it.
Backlash came swift and brutal. Screenshots of her alleged posts spread like wildfire. By September 23, one user, @G5VE_, accused her of being “fond of falsely accusing men of rape.” The post racked up over 100 likes, dozens of reposts, and a wave of replies calling for accountability.
A day later, another user demanded she be institutionalised. By September 25, things had escalated to bounty-hunting: users like @neo_officialll and @JJExclusive1 publicly offered N100k rewards for Vivian’s address, insisting “false rape accusations must never be taken lightly.” The online mob had found its villain.
Still, a few defenders claimed Vivian was being misinterpreted or mocked unfairly. But those voices were drowned out by doxxing attempts, insults about her appearance, and endless debates about the consequences of crying wolf in such a sensitive arena.
Vivian’s case is not unique. Older viral clips showed women threatening recovery agents or even unfortunate men with false claims to escape debts or incite blackmail.
Each time, the outrage is the same: false accusations erode trust in real victims, ruin innocent men’s lives, and fuel gender wars. This year alone, courts in the U.S., India, and Singapore have processed multiple cases of women jailed for fabricating sexual assault.
Take the Pennsylvania woman who admitted she made up an attempted rape story that put a man behind bars for a month. Or the Dauphin County case, where another woman falsely accused someone at Ft Indiantown Gap and was later jailed. In India, courts have openly acknowledged that false sexual assault claims are on the rise, while Singapore recently convicted a woman who invented a story after consensual sex. Each headline adds to the pile of anger that makes social media debates so combustible.
The discourse isn’t limited to Vivian or random Twitter rants. Prominent voices have weighed in. Journalist Deepika Bhardwaj, a filmmaker in India, frequently posts about false cases, even joking that one serial accuser deserves a “Limca Book of Records” award. Men’s rights groups like @men_are_human amplify similar stories worldwide.
On the flip side, netizens remind everyone that false accusations are statistically rare, about two to 10 per cent of rape reports according to most studies. They argue that the noise online exaggerates the problem and risks silencing genuine victims. Others counter that the statistics are unreliable, with men’s rights activists insisting the numbers are much higher, anywhere from 10 per cent to 60 per cent, depending on who you ask.
So who’s right? Probably both, depending on where you stand. False accusations are rare but devastating. Even if only a handful exist, the fallout for an innocent man can be permanent: lost jobs, broken families, destroyed reputations.
And once the label of “rapist” sticks, good luck washing it off, even after the truth comes out.
One theme that keeps popping up is revenge. Many women accused of lying about rape allegedly did so to punish men who embarrassed, rejected, or simply annoyed them.
In one group therapy story shared on X, women reportedly laughed about falsely accusing men for petty reasons. Another viral case had a man die after being accused of nothing more than “chat vibes.”
These are not just cautionary tales for men; they’re warnings to women, too. Because the internet never forgets, and society has a way of circling back. Many of these same women will eventually become mothers.
Some will raise sons. And when those boys grow up, they’ll be the very men navigating a world scarred by false accusations. Imagine being a “boy mom” who once thought it was funny or strategic to cry wolf, only to realise your own child could someday be on the receiving end. Karma has a cruel sense of humour.
The Vivian saga and the broader discourse on false rape accusations highlight a bigger problem: society has no clear framework for handling false claims. Real victims already face disbelief and stigma; false ones make it worse. Meanwhile, innocent men caught in the crossfire often receive no justice even after being cleared.
Balanced solutions are tricky. Punishing false accusers too harshly could discourage real victims from speaking up, fearing they won’t be believed. On the other hand, letting false accusers off lightly emboldens others and deepens mistrust.
The middle ground is elusive, but beyond laws, re-education is pressing. Young people, both men and women, need to grasp the gravity of rape. It is too serious to become a tool for revenge, a bargaining chip or an insult to hurl online.
False rape accusations are not a trend to shrug off; they ruin lives, inflame gender wars, and weaken the credibility of true survivors. Social media amplifies the drama, turning isolated cases into cultural battles.
But beyond the hashtags and memes lies a sobering truth: today’s accuser might be tomorrow’s mother of a son. And when that day comes, the consequences of turning “he did it” into a weapon may no longer feel like an abstract debate; it will be her boy on the line.
At the heart of this issue is that women have fought too long and too hard for their voices to be heard in matters of sexual violence. To toy with this hard-earned credibility is a sabotage against women themselves. Every lie paraded as ‘cruise’ chips away at the credibility of real victims.
