Court awards Nigerian lawmaker ₦10 million in defamation suit

A State High Court in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has awarded ₦10 million in damages to Chinedu Ogah, the member representing the Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency, in a defamation lawsuit against social media critic Chisom Achor.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Frankline Edem ruled that a series of videos published by the defendant on Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms between September and October 2025 were defamatory. The court declared that the allegations in the videos, presented as Exhibit P1, were injurious to Mr. Ogah’s character and reputation.

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The allegations in the videos, presented as Exhibit P1, were injurious to Mr. Ogah’s character and reputation.

According to a certified true copy of the judgment obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the court ordered Mr. Achor to retract the publications and issue an unreserved apology on his Facebook and TikTok pages within 30 days. Justice Edem awarded ₦10 million in compensation for the damage to Mr. Ogah’s reputation, a significant reduction from the ₦1 billion in general damages originally sought. Additionally, the court granted a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, or privies from publishing further defamatory statements against Mr. Ogah on any social media platform. The defendant was further ordered to pay ₦200,000 in legal costs.

The judgment followed the defendant’s failure to file a statement of defense, despite being personally served with originating processes while in custody at a correctional center in Enugu. Court records indicate that the writ of summons was served on January 26, 2026. Although counsel represented the defendant, Samuel Ede, during proceedings on March 31, the lawyer subsequently failed to file any defense or appear in court. Despite being served with a notice of hearing, neither the defendant nor his counsel attended the resumed hearing. Consequently, Justice Edem granted the plaintiff leave to prove his case in default of defense, delivering the verdict after hearing submissions from the plaintiff’s counsel, Samson Ekigbo.

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The court ordered Mr. Achor to retract the publications and issue an unreserved apology on his Facebook and TikTok pages within 30 days.