N10B defamation suit: Ugwuonye fails to file response

ITREALMS:

... Aiyedogbon presents electronic-evidence

Barely Eighteen months after being served with court papers in a N10 billion defamation suit by ex-husband of the missing Abuja woman, Charity Aiyedogbon, Mr. David Aiyedogbon, Lagos-based lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye, is yet to file his response to the suit, just as his trial continues, reports ITRealms.

Fortifying his evidence on Wednesday, ITRealms reports that Mr. Aiyedogbon had earlier presented an electronic evidence to support existing volumes of documentary evidence in support of his suit.

Responding to questions from Ugwuonye on the efforts he has made in searching for the missing woman, Aiyedogbon informed the Court that the Police is handling the investigation, adding that four persons, including the defendant, Ugwuonye, are already being prosecuted for their alleged involvement in the sudden disappearance of the woman.

“So far, a lot has been done. We reported the matter to the Police and Police investigations led to the arrest and charging to court of four people, including you, Emeka Ugwuonye, for being complicit in the matter. By my efforts, the Police conducted a DNA test on the lifeless dismembered body you earlier posted on Facebook and identified as that of Charity. Police investigations led to the recovery of the missing Charity’s car and two handsets in your home state, Enugu. Even this suit, wherein you are a defendant is part of my efforts to look for Charity.  

"I brought you to this Court to enable you produce the overwhelming evidence you claim you have; you said severally that Charity is dead, alleging that you have an overwhelming evidence that I killed her; and whether the defense of justification will avail you. I want you to present your overwhelming evidence before this Court. Emeka, after collecting money from members of the public, you have not taken any step in looking for Charity. I want you to tell this Court even one thing you have done in looking for Charity. You have not made any effort in this regard. Emeka, you have never reported this matter to the Police. You also have not presented your overwhelming evidence anywhere, not even to the Police. You only reported it on Facebook. The only thing you have done is to attack David Aiyegbodon,” he said.

While the cross examination was going on, the presiding Judge, Justice Peter Kekemeke cautioned Mr. Ugwuonye, stating that all the questions he raised were not relevant to the matter before the court.

After over two hours of questions and answers, the Judge reiterated that all the respondent’s questions were not relevant to the defamation suit before the Court. He however adjourned the matter to 28th of June, 2018, for continuation of the cross examination, while advising the respondent to prepare to ask questions that are relevant to the issues before the court.

It would be recalled that Mr. David Aiyedogbon approached the Court to seek redress following the alleged refusal of Ugwuonye to desist from posting materials he considered defamatory on his Facebook group, The Due Process Advocates. He also wrote Mr. Ugwuonye through his lawyers, demanding an apology and retraction, but he refused to listen, prompting Mr. Aiyedogbon to approach the court to seek redress.

Ugwuonye had falsely accused Mr. Aiyedogbon of having a hand in the sudden disappearance of his estranged wife, Charity Aiyedogbon; an unsubstantiated claim that compelled Mr. Aiyedogbon to institute the N10b suit against him.

In addition to the Ten Billion Naira damages, the Suit, with number CV/2750/16, between David Aiyedogbon (Plaintiff) and Emeka Ugwuonye (Defendant) on defamation of character, before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court 14, Apo, Abuja; also prays that the defendant be ordered to pay for the cost of the litigation.

The Plaintiff is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction “restraining the Defendant, his Agents, Privies, Associates or whosoever called” from making further defamatory publications against him and his family members.

Mr. Ugwuonye is accused of posting severally on The Due Process Advocates (DPA), a Facebook group, claiming to have evidence of the involvement of the missing Charity Aiyedogbon’s ex-husband, David Aiyedogbon in her sudden disappearance.

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Pix: Late Mrs. Charity Aiyedogbon

Why Bayelsa approved N10bn to upgrade school facilities

ITRealms:

The government of Bayelsa State has explained why it gave approval of N10 billion for the upgrading of school facilities, reports ITRealms.

Speaking to stakeholders in civil service administration in Yenagoa who endorsed a number of reforms aimed at restructuring the public service for effective delivery, the Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson said the state is working at checking the syndrome of ghost workers and other unwholesome practices.

He described as unacceptable, the age long sharp practices in the state civil service, adding that the said payment of over N4 billion monthly wage bill could no longer be sustained.

Dickson said that it has impacted negatively on the developmental agenda of the restoration government.

According to him, the meeting was convened to intimate the stakeholders of the financial position of the state and chart a way forward in view of the prevailing economic situation.

Some of the reforms as highlighted by the governor and endorsed by the stakeholders in attendance include; approval of N200 million monthly subvention to the state owned Niger Delta University.

He stressed that only subventions would be given to tertiary institutions as against the old practice of monthly payment of salary.

Also the state government gave approval of N10 billion for the purpose of upgrading facilities in all its tertiary institutions across the state and also instituted a special Education Safety Corps to ensure the safety of its schools.

The governor urged all tertiary institutions to key into government’s vision of adopting a single accounting system to check fraud, stressing that education levy would be introduced for all workers in the state to fund activities in the sector.

According to Governor Dickson, as part of the reforms, the state civil service commission will be reconstituted just as government did to that of the local government service commission.

He stressed that further steps would be taken to re-organize the state’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies pointing out that staff with requisite qualifications and skills would be redeployed to relevant ministries and institutions.

Also, the state government has created a N10 billion Enterpreneur Development Fund to empower people that may voluntarily opt out of the civil service arising from the re-organization of the service.

The Governor announced that henceforth, the State Environmental Sanitation Authority would be taken out of the mainstream of the civil service, stating that only a few and relevant staff would be deployed on secondment to the authority .   

To tackle the problems of absenteeism, and ghost workers syndrome, attendance registers have been introduced in all the MDAs which would be properly monitored by special teams.  

 The meeting had in attendance, the traditional rulers, captains of Industry, members of the State House of Assembly, top government functionaries, local government chairmen to mention but few.

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