A retired Permanent Secretary the Ministry of Environment, Lady Joy Maduka early this week, slammed a N100 million suit on two Abia Facebook users.
Lady Joy, who was recently retired by Gov. Alex Otti, had in the suit number HU/23/2024, filed before Abia State High Court sitting in Umuahia, on June 21, 2024, claimed “malicious and libelous publications” by the Defendants, which she claimed, exposed her to “public scandal, odium and ridicule”.
The defendants, she claimed published on their Facebook pages that the state government sacked her over an allegation of embezzling N20 million, and diverting N13 million respectively, stating that the publication was false.
According to Nwabueze Chukwueke of NCN & Partners Law firm, the Counsel to Maduka, who was the immediate-past state Head of Service, HoS in the state, the “libelous publication, has lowered and diminished the estimation of my client in the eyes of right thinking members of the society, including but not limited to her friends, business associates and family members.”
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The claimant is also seeking for an order of the court compelling the defendants to tender an unreserved apology to her in two national newspapers.
“The 1st Defendant in his Facebook wall falsely published and accused the Claimant of diversion and embezzlement of N20 million and N13 million, respectively. The 1st Defendant maliciously defamed the Claimant when he carelessly and recklessly published that one of the primary allegations against the retired Perm Sec involves the diversion of N20 million intended for workers; and looting N13 million from the Ministry of Environment account shortly after her promotion to Perm Sec.”
Recall that the Head of Service, Mrs Queen Obioma, had in a circular dated June 14, 2024, directed the former Perm Sec, to proceed on “compulsory retirement with immediate effect” and without any reason was however, adduced for the directive, sequel to a directive by the Governor.
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