Court awards lawmaker N10m damages, orders public apology

A high court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, has ordered one Chisom Achor, a social media critic in the State, to pay Chinedu Ogah, the member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, the sum of N10m as damages for defamation and character assassination.

Achor was arrested last year by the Police over the offence.

He was subsequently arraigned in suit number HAB/224/2025 at High Court 4, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State,

Franklin Edem (Justice), the trial judge, while delivering judgment on the suit on Tuesday, found Achor guilty of the offence.

He ordered the critic to pay the lawmaker N10 million as compensation.

The court further ordered Achor to tender an apology to Ogah in the national dailies within two weeks and restrained him from making further defamatory posts against Ogah.

The court also awarded the sum of two hundred thousand naira (N200,000) compensation to the prosecuting counsel over the matter.

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Justice Frank Edem, while granting all reliefs sought by the plaintiff, having proved in the preponderance of evidence his claims, ordered as follows:

“That the publications made by Chisom Achor between September and October 2025 against Chinedu Ogah are defamatory.

“That the plaintiff shall, within thirty days from the date of this judgment, retract and apologise to the plaintiff using his social media handles, including but not limited to Ikwo Pluto, Pluto777, on both Facebook and TikTok for the false allegations against the plaintiff which injured his high standing in society.

“That the defendant shall pay in damages, the sum of 10,000,000.00 [ten million naira] only to the plaintiff as compensation for his defamatory publications which injured the plaintiff’s reputation.

“An order of perpetual injunctions restraining the defendant, his agents, workmen or anyone who may claim through him, by whatever means, from further defaming the plaintiff.

“The suit is assessed at 200,000.00 [Two Hundred Thousand Naira] as costs in favour of the plaintiff’s counsel and against the defendant.

Sampson Ekigbo, one of the prosecuting Counels, described the court as the last hope of the common man.

He lauded the trial judge for the judgment, which he said will protect people from character assassination and defamation.

He urged youths to avoid using social media for negative tendencies to avoid the consequences Achor has faced.

The lawyer commended the lawmaker for approaching the court to seek redress rather than resorting to self-defence.