By Chuks Eke
Justice BMK Mohammed of the Federal High Court No. 2 sitting in Awka, Anambra State, has adjourned a defamation charge against Awka-based businessman Ikenna Ezeume to April 22 this year, to enable him to enter his plea regarding a two-count charge preferred against him by the Inspector-General of Police.
The charge brought by the Inspector-General of Police alleges that Ezeume made defamatory statements against Barrister Jideofor Okongwu, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Anaocha Branch.
The charge was scheduled for mention in mid-last year but could not be heard due to the absence of the defendant, Ezeume, whose lawyer, A. C. Mogbo, submitted a medical report on his behalf, stating that he was hospitalised and could not attend court due to ill health.
Justice Mohammed adjourned the matter to September 24, 2025, to allow Ezeume to appear in court to take his plea. On September 24, a similar report of illness was presented by his counsel as the reason for his inability to be present in court, prompting another adjournment to February 5 this year for him to take his plea.
On February 5, the court did not convene due to other judicial activities, and the charge was further adjourned to April 22 for formal arraignment and plea.
In charge No. FHC/AWK/107c/2025, dated May 7, 2025, and signed by a police prosecution counsel, A. C. Obi from the Legal Department of the Anambra State Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Awka, the prosecution alleges that Ezeume published defamatory voice notes via social media between February and March 2025.
In the first count, the prosecution asserts that the defendant knowingly published a defamatory audio message on two WhatsApp forums—Peoples’ Forum and Enugwu Village Forum—claiming that the complainant, Barrister Okongwu, gained admission into the Nigerian Law School through fraudulent means and was unqualified to practise law.
The prosecution contends that the statement was false, damaging to Okongwu’s reputation among members of the WhatsApp forums and the general public, and placed him in fear of potential physical attack.
In the second count, the prosecution alleges similar defamatory statements published on the defendant’s Facebook page. They also claim that Ezeume falsely stated that Okongwu fraudulently secured admission to Delta State University, thereby questioning the legitimacy of his legal qualifications and asserting that these publications were knowingly false and injurious to Okongwu’s character.
The offence, the prosecution states, is contrary to Section 24(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes Prevention, etc. (Act 2015, as amended in 2024), which deals with the intentional transmission of false information that injures the reputation of others.
