KENNETH AHIA, SAN, DEMANDS ₦500 MILLION DAMAGES FROM JOHN OKIYI KALU OVER ALLEGED DEFAMATION AND UNLAWFUL PUBLICATION OF CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Kenneth C. Ahia, has formally demanded a retraction, public apology, and payment of ₦500 million in damages from Chief John Okiyi Kalu, former Commissioner for Information in Abia State, over what he described as a defamatory, false, and malicious publication circulated across online and social media platforms.

In a detailed letter dated October 26, 2025, issued by the law firm Adedeji & Owotomo on behalf of Mr. Ahia, the Senior Advocate accused Chief Okiyi Kalu of publishing a libelous article on October 24, 2025, titled “Abia: Surreptitious Tenfold Increase in Governor’s Approval Limit is Evil.”

The publication, which was widely shared on social media, reportedly alleged that Governor Alex Otti had signed off ₦50 million to his “personal lawyer and friend,” Mr. Ahia, SAN, “ostensibly for negotiating contracts with Julius Berger,” suggesting official favoritism and irregular payment.

According to the legal demand letter, the statements made by Okiyi Kalu were false, reckless, and malicious, and had gravely injured the integrity and reputation of Mr. Ahia, a legal practitioner with thirty-seven years of unblemished service.

The letter reads in part:

“These words, in their natural and ordinary meaning, falsely and maliciously impute that our client engaged in corruption, abuse of privilege, and unethical conduct, thereby casting grave aspersions on his integrity and professional reputation as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.”

The lawyers emphasized that Mr. Ahia was formally and lawfully engaged by the Abia State Government to render specialized legal services relating to construction contracts involving due process and contractual negotiations. The ₦50 million professional fee, they noted, was duly approved and significantly below the standard rate for a Senior Advocate of his standing.

More controversially, the letter accused Chief Okiyi Kalu of publishing or referencing a confidential invoice submitted by Mr. Ahia’s law firm to the Abia State Government in the course of a solicitor-client engagement. This, the lawyers argued, constitutes a breach of confidentiality, violation of privacy rights, and unlawful possession and dissemination of confidential documents.

“By publishing or reproducing that confidential correspondence, you have violated Sections 37 and 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which guarantee the right to privacy and correspondence,” the letter stated.

The demand notice further warned that such actions could attract criminal implications under the Criminal Code Act, including unlawful publication of confidential documents and cyberstalking.

Consequently, Mr. Ahia’s legal representatives demanded that Okiyi Kalu:

1. Retract the entire publication within seven (7) days using the same media and with equal prominence;

2. Publish a clear and unequivocal public apology approved by the law firm;

3. Cease all further publication or circulation of the confidential correspondence;

4. Pay ₦500,000,000 (Five Hundred Million Naira) as general damages for libel, breach of confidentiality, and injury to reputation; and

5. Provide a written undertaking to desist from further defamatory actions.

The letter also warned that failure to comply within seven days would lead to civil proceedings for defamation, breach of confidence, and invasion of privacy, as well as criminal prosecution for unlawful publication of private documents.

“Our client has practised law for thirty-seven years without blemish and enjoys an impeccable professional reputation. Your publication has caused him severe embarrassment, public ridicule, and injury to his hard-earned professional honour,” the letter concluded.

As of the time of filing this report, Chief Okiyi Kalu has not publicly responded to the allegations or the demand notice.

If the case proceeds to court, it could become one of the most high-profile defamation suits involving a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a prominent political figure from Abia State.