Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has dragged a Makurdi based
lawyer, Mr Ocha Ulegede to court for alleged false, malicious and
libellous publication.
![image](/2020/12/lawbreedad.jpg")
![image](/2020/12/Law-Pavilion-PRIME1.png")
Governor Ortom in the suit averred that Mr Ulegede allegedly
assassinated his character and damaged his reputation in a social
publication he forwarded to the WhatsApp group of the Nigerian Bar
Association, NBA, Makurdi Branch on Wednesday, December 9,
2020.
![image](/2020/10/NWLRland.jpg")
According to him, in the forwarded post, Mr Ulegede alleged that
during a stakeholder meeting between the Benue State government and
organized labour held on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, Governor
Ortom lamented about the frequency of garnishee proceedings against
his administration and referred to him(Ulegede) as one of the
greedy lawyers and threatened to face such lawyers headlong.
Mr Ulegede was also alleged to have stated in the post that
Governor Ortom castigated the person of Justice Maurice Ikpambese
of the Benue State High Court Makurdi for granting garnishee orders
and has instructed the Attorney General of Benue State to petition
the Judge.
When the case came up for mention, counsel to Governor Ortom,
Samuel Irabor, observed that the defendant, Mr Ulegede was not in
court, he made an oral application for the trial Magistrate to
issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
Counsel to Mr Ulegede, Augustine Sule, however, objected to the
application, submitting that his client needed 48-hours to appear
in court, after service, as required by law.
The trial Magistrate, Vincent Kor ruled against issuing a bench
warrant since the time of service on Ulegede and mention of the
case was not up to 48-hours. He adjourned the suit to January 29,
2021, to hear the preliminary objections against the suit.
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has dragged a Makurdi based
lawyer, Mr Ocha Ulegede to court for alleged false, malicious and
libellous publication.
Governor Ortom in the suit averred that Mr Ulegede allegedly
assassinated his character and damaged his reputation in a social
publication he forwarded to the WhatsApp group of the Nigerian Bar
Association, NBA, Makurdi Branch on Wednesday, December 9,
2020.
According to him, in the forwarded post, Mr Ulegede alleged that
during a stakeholder meeting between the Benue State government and
organized labour held on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, Governor
Ortom lamented about the frequency of garnishee proceedings against
his administration and referred to him(Ulegede) as one of the
greedy lawyers and threatened to face such lawyers headlong.
Mr Ulegede was also alleged to have stated in the post that
Governor Ortom castigated the person of Justice Maurice Ikpambese
of the Benue State High Court Makurdi for granting garnishee orders
and has instructed the Attorney General of Benue State to petition
the Judge.
When the case came up for mention, counsel to Governor Ortom,
Samuel Irabor, observed that the defendant, Mr Ulegede was not in
court, he made an oral application for the trial Magistrate to
issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
Counsel to Mr Ulegede, Augustine Sule, however, objected to the
application, submitting that his client needed 48-hours to appear
in court, after service, as required by law.
The trial Magistrate, Vincent Kor ruled against issuing a bench
warrant since the time of service on Ulegede and mention of the
case was not up to 48-hours. He adjourned the suit to January 29,
2021, to hear the preliminary objections against the suit.