Defamation: Awka Magistrate Court Jails UNIZIK Ex-lecturer

A former lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Peter Ekemezie, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment for publishing defamatory statements against one Prof. Alex Asigbo.

Ekemezie who was charged with three-count bordering on forgery and defamation, was however given an option of N300,000 fine.

While delivering the judgment at an Awka Magistrates’ court, on Tuesday, His Worship, E.C. Chukwu, said he took into consideration the fact that the defendant had spent one month in a psychiatric home and four months in a Correctional Centre.

During the trial, Asigbo told the court that Ekemezie forged his signature when he refused to give him (Ekemezie) a witness statement but instead advised him to procure a subpoena.

Asigbo said this led to Ekemezie writing and publishing series of defamatory statements against him on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Although, there were conflicting reports regarding the true identity Ekemezie, whether he was still a lecturer at Unizik or not.

But when contacted, the Media Adviser to the vice chancellor of the institution, Emmanuel Ojukwu, confirmed that Ekemezie left the services of the institution several years ago.

Ojukwu added, “He left the services of UNIZIK several years ago due to inadequacies in degrees, there were several loopholes in his credentials and his matter was treated before the Council and he was sent away. Before then, he was at the Department of Chemistry”