Nigerian Lawyer Wins Big as Court Orders Colleague to Pay N150m in Damages for Slander
Nigerian lawyer, Nwa Okpoko is celebrating a significant victory as a court has ordered his senior colleague, Azubuike Ihemeje, to pay a total of N150 million in damages for years of online slander against him.
In his Facebook post, Okpoko detailed how he took legal action against his senior colleague, leading to the judge’s favorable decision. He stated, “Today, we went to court to take judgment in my case against my learned senior Azubuike Ihemeje. The court found in my favor that Azubuike defamed me and told lies against me.”
The court ordered Ihemeje to pay N100 million as general damages and an additional N50 million as exemplary damages, summing up to a total of N150 million. Furthermore, Ihemeje was mandated to publicly apologize to Okpoko on his social media platform, and an injunction was placed to prevent him from publishing any further defamatory content against Okpoko.
“It is essential to highlight that Azubuike presented no evidence to substantiate his claims,” Okpoko noted. “He told blatant lies about me, which many on Facebook and elsewhere accepted, causing immense suffering for me and my friends over the years.”
The court declared, “No single truth exists in the statement of the defendant.” Okpoko also pointed out that those who had previously supported Ihemeje abandoned him when faced with the legal consequences of his actions.
“I am relieved that this first stage is over, and I look forward to seeing what my learned senior’s next steps will be,” he concluded. “May it please the court!”
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