A 40-year-old man was on Thursday arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting in Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, for alleged online defamation of the former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Aniocha Branch, Barrister Okongwu Jideofor.
The defendant, Ikenna Ezeume, a resident of Road 2, Plot 2A, Green Ville Estate, Awka, was arraigned for allegedly publishing defamatory statements on the internet and social media platforms, including WhatsApp, claiming that Barrister Jideofor forged his WAEC result, which he purportedly used to study Law at Delta State University.
The Prosecutor, ASP Clement Iyah, told the court that the matter was reported to Zone 13 Police Headquarters, Ukpo, by the complainant, Jideofor.
He said the defendant committed the offence between the 1st day of March 2025 and the 31st day of April 2025, within the Awka South Magisterial District.
According to the prosecutor, the defendant wrote a false petition against the complainant to the Inspector General of Police, alleging that the complainant forged his WAEC result to study Law at Delta State University, knowing the claim to be false. The publication, he said, was likely to injure the complainant’s reputation as the Chairman Emeritus of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Aniocha Branch, by exposing him to hatred, contempt, and ridicule, and by damaging his professional standing as a legal practitioner. The offence, he said, is punishable under Section 325 of the Criminal Code Cap 36, Vol. II, Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria, 1991 (as amended).
Iyah further told the court that the defendant went ahead to write another petition, even after being granted bail, in an attempt to further tarnish the image of the complainant.
He added that a police investigation into the allegation revealed that the complainant did not use a forged WAEC result to study Law at Delta State University. The prosecutor said the defendant acted with the intent of misleading the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 13 Headquarters, Ukpo, to direct Sgt. Chidjioke Alaefia of the Zonal Criminal Investigation Department to take actions that ultimately caused injury to Barrister Jideofor. This, he said, was an act the officer would not have carried out if the true facts were known-thereby constituting an offence punishable under Section 154(1)(b) of the Criminal Code Cap 36, Vol. II, Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria, 1991 (as amended).
The defendant, however, denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, Senior Magistrate O. N. Ike granted the defendant bail in the sum of ?1,000,000, with one surety who must be a civil servant.
The magistrate ruled that the surety must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and submit one recent passport photograph to the court.