By Chuks Eke
The Administrative Judge of Idemili Judicial Division of Anambra state, Justice Alexander Okuma has adjourned further hearing to July 29, this year in a N50 million defamation suit filed by the recuperating Chief Security Officer, CSO of Obosi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state, Sir San Chimezie Igbokwubili Obii, against the President-General of Obosi Development Union, ODU, Barrister Chimezie Obiajeh.
Joined in the suit as second defendant is the ODU itself.
Sir Obii is recuperating from the shock and injuries he sustained when on August 25, 2024 at Obosi, unknown gunnen numbering about five suspected to be hired assassins and armed with AK47 riffles, released several gunshots at him but he barely managed to survive and escaped, while his Nissan SUV got burnt.
The adjounment came on Thursday when the case was called up as a result of late service of the defendants’ memorandum of conditional appearance and statement of defence on plaintiff’s counsel, G. U. Nnebe Esq. by the defence counsel, Lightman C. Okolo Esq.
In the Suit No. HID/325/2024, the plaintiff, Igbokwubili Obii, through his legal counsel, Nnebe Esq. had dragged the defendants to the court seeking the payment of N50 million from the defendants jointly as damages for the defamation of his character.
The plaintiff is also seeking a declaration of the court that the defamatory remark made by the first defendant in the public/social media against his person amounts to character defamation.
The plaintiff is further seeking a declaration that the publication on the WhatsApp platform of ODU, the second defendant on September 3, 2024 by the first defendant that he, the plaintiff is threatening his life and inciting people against the first defendant without justifiable reasons whatsoever, amounted to defamation of his character.
The plaintiff also sought a declaration of the court that his sack as CSO, after he was attacked by the unknown gunnen who also set his Nissan SUV ablaze and locking up his office by the first defendant without his consent up till date wherein all his personal belongings were still inside the locked up office, including but not limited to his cash, laptop and other important documents since Augustt 2024, at the instigation of the first defendant without justifiable reasons whatsoever, amounted to the breach of his fundamental rights.
The plaintiff is therefore praying the court to restrain the defendants from further making such defamatory remarks against him, as well as restrain their agents, privies, servants or whosoever from using intimidation, harassment and disturbing him with respect to the subject matter of this case or other matters connected thereto.
The plaintiff also prayed the court to order the defendants to publish a letter of retraction of the defamatory remark made against him in two national dailies and at the ODU WhatsApp platform.
But in a statement of defence they filed before the court, the defendants admitted that the first defendant’s publication of September 2024 are all true but does not constitute defamation in any way against the plaintiff, adding that the defendants shall at the hearing of the matter, plead the defence of truth.
The defendants also noted that infact, the said publication on the ODU WhatsApp forum by the first defendant was in response to a defamatory remark being made and published by the plaintiff against the first defendant that he has a hand in the vicious attack meted against the plaintiff by unknown gunnen on August 25, 2024, during which his vehicle was set ablaze and he narrowly escaped death.
