Anambra court adjourns N50m defamation suit against town union leader to July 29,
By Nwabueze Okonkwo, Onitsha
The Administrative Judge of the Idemili Judicial Division of Anambra State, Justice Alexander Okuma, has adjourned further hearing in a N50 million defamation suit filed by Sir San Chimezie Igbokwubili Obii, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Obosi community, to July 29, 2025.
Sir Obii is suing the President-General of the Obosi Development Union (ODU), Barrister Chimezie Obiajeh, and the ODU itself, for allegedly defaming his character on a public WhatsApp platform. The adjournment followed late service of the defendants’ memorandum of conditional appearance and statement of defence on the plaintiff’s counsel, G. U. Nnebe Esq., by defence counsel Lightman C. Okolo Esq.
In the suit, No. HID/325/2024, Obii seeks N50 million in damages, as well as court declarations that the statements made by Obiajeh on social media were defamatory. The plaintiff also alleges that the publication falsely accused him of threatening Obiajeh’s life and inciting unrest in the community.
Obii, who is still recuperating from injuries sustained in an armed attack on August 25, 2024, claims he was ambushed by about five unknown gunmen suspected to be hired assassins. Though he narrowly escaped with his life, his Nissan SUV was set ablaze in the attack.
Further compounding the case, the plaintiff alleges that following the attack, he was unlawfully dismissed as CSO by the first defendant, and his office was locked without his consent. He claims his personal belongings—including cash, a laptop, and critical documents—have remained locked inside since the incident.
Obii is also asking the court to restrain the defendants and their associates from further acts of harassment or defamation and to compel them to publish a retraction of the alleged defamatory statements in two national newspapers and on the ODU WhatsApp platform.
In their defence, the defendants admitted to making the September 2024 publication but argued that the statements were truthful and therefore do not constitute defamation. They further claimed the publication was a response to a prior defamatory remark allegedly made by the plaintiff, accusing Obiajeh of being involved in the August 25 attack.
The court will reconvene on July 29, 2025, for further proceedings.
The post Anambra court adjourns N50m defamation suit against town union leader to July 29 appeared first on Vanguard News.
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The Administrative Judge of the Idemili Judicial Division of Anambra State, Justice Alexander Okuma, has adjourned further hearing in a N50 million defamation suit filed by Sir San Chimezie Igbokwubili Obii, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Obosi community, to July 29, 2025.
The post Anambra court adjourns N50m defamation suit against town union leader to July 29 appeared first on Vanguard News.
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