CRIME
Defamation Suit: Ex-Abia Commissioner for Information, Eze Chikamnayo Denies Alleged Facebook Publications Against Gov. Alex Otti at FCT High Court
A legal battle has unfolded at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as the defendant in a suit instituted by Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, filed a comprehensive statement of defence denying all allegations linking him to purported defamatory online publications.
The suit, instituted by Governor Otti against Hon. Barr. Eze Chikamnayo, also known as “Iyierioba Chikamnayo”, centres on claims of alleged injurious and offensive posts said to have been published on a Facebook wall bearing the name “Iyierioba Chikamnayo.” The claimant is seeking legal redress over posts alleged to have targeted his person and office.
In his statement of defence, the defendant categorically denied every material allegation contained in the claimant’s statement of claim, save for those expressly admitted. He specifically refuted paragraphs 1 to 5 of the claimant’s pleadings and challenged the claimant to provide strict proof of the allegations.
Responding directly to claims concerning ownership and publication of the alleged Facebook posts, the defendant maintained that he has never owned, operated, or published any content on a Facebook wall named “Iyierioba Chikamnayo.”
He further asserted that he is not the individual behind the said Facebook identity and did not author or publish any of the posts referenced in the suit.
The defendant also denied any involvement in publications allegedly made on various dates in 2025, including posts with titles and captions critical of Governor Otti and his administration. He insisted that none of the publications attributed to the Facebook wall were authored or sanctioned by him, again putting the claimant to the strictest proof.
On claims relating to letters and pre-action correspondence, the defendant stated that he neither received any letter of demand dated October 2, 2025, nor any other correspondence allegedly sent to him. He added that although a particular phone number cited in the claim once belonged to him, the phone and SIM card were stolen long ago, and he has since not been in possession of the line.
The defendant further denied receiving any correspondence via Facebook or phone and maintained that he could not have acknowledged or responded to any such communication.
Challenging the competence of the suit, the defendant argued that the pre-action counselling certificate filed by the claimant is incompetent, thereby rendering the writ of summons defective and constituting an abuse of court process. He urged the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety, describing it as lacking merit, vexatious, and an abuse of judicial process.
The statement of defence was signed by senior legal practitioners, Jonny Agim, SAN, and Stephen Miracle Oluebube, Esq., for the defendant, while service is to be effected on the claimant’s counsel, led by Dr. Sonny Ajala, SAN, FCIArb (UK), alongside R.O. Onumajuru, Esq.
The matter is expected to come up for further proceedings as the court determines the substantive issues rais
ed by both parties.