By Joshua Chibuzo Andrew | Owerri
The Magistrate Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State capital has began hearing of the case between Commissioner of Police and former Imo State Broadcasting Corporation, IBC Staff, Vivian Ottih, over alleged criminal defamatory statement against former IBC Director General, Mr James Egbuchulam.
Ottih, also a lawyer is currently the deputy governorship candidate of Action Democratic Party, ADP in the forthcoming November 11th gubernatorial election in the state.
The hearing held yesterday, had the Complainant, Egbuchulam, and the Defendant, Ottih present in Court.
When the matter was called up, the Prosecuting Council, ASP M. C. Ebo, who briefly introduced the case, called on the complainant to speak further on it.
Speaking, Egbuchulam narrated, “I was appointed Director General of Imo State Broadcasting Corporation, IBC on November 16, 2020, when I was informed that Vivian Ottih; the defendant was on 2 years suspension by the State Government for reasons of indiscipline and misconduct. IBC Management decided to present her case to the Board which I was a member and Secretary of.
“The board directed that she should write an undertaken to be of good conduct, which she did and was recalled back to work.
“I met a fraudulent system in IBC, and in the course of my fight against it, I was told to go on a compulsory leave by the Ministry of Information, not the Board or the Governor of the state, Senator Hope Uzodimma who appointed me.
“A day after I got the letter of the compulsory leave, Otti went on the internet and said I have been DISGRACED OUT OF IBC LIKE A COMMON THIEF and put my picture to it.
“In the publication she said I gave her over 20 queries and warnings within 3 months after she was recalled back – how possible is that when I was the one that facilitated her return. Also director generals does not write queries as they have their subordinates that do that.
“Instead of being grateful that I brought her back to work, she decided to tell this fallacious and satanic lie against me. She also went ahead to abuse my children in the publication.
“When she knew the Police were now looking for her because of the publication, she went and deleted it from her Facebook page not knowing that I have done the needful of securing that post from the internet, printed it out in a business center, and was also given a Certificate certifying the details of the publication.
“I have received several calls in respect to the publication as people were wondering when I became a THIEF. Many people have seen and shared the post.
“This has damaged my Image, ridiculed my personality by age and profession as a broadcaster, an author of many books, as a knight, and a senior citizen of this country that have served the Federal Government of Nigeria meritoriously for 35 years, ‘Egbuchulam lamented’.
The Prosecuting Council, Ebo tendered the printed publication and the certificate to the Magistrate, Senior Magistrate Ibe Njoku, and it was marked as Exhibit A.
As the defendant, Ottih, did not have a lawyer to stand for her, the Magistrate gave her the floor to cross examine the prosecuting witness, ASP Ndumele Uchechukwu who was also in Court.
Ottih said that she was not informed in time about the proceeding, and being a Deputy Governorship candidate of one of the parties contesting for the coming guber election, she has a lot on her head.
She pleaded for the case to be adjourned to enable her to properly prepare herself for it.
After looking into her plea, and making other considerations, the Magistrate adjourned the case to November 22, 2023 for further proceedings.
The Impartial Observers gathered that Ottih was first arrested by the Nigeria Police Force, State CID, on Wednesday 12 October 2022, and was arraigned in Court on Friday 14 October 2022.
