Posted by Aba, Abia State’s Magistrate Court heard the case of MC Sweet, a guy who falsely claimed online that indigenous Aba Ngwa people attempted to obstruct Julius Berger’s construction of the Port-Harcourt Road in Aba.
The online sketch creator also asserted in the post that indigenous people were ordered imprisoned during a peace meeting that Governor Alex Otti supposedly convened with a group of Aba Ngwa elders and youths in Umuahia.
With the help of Mr. Dodoh Okafor, the Special Assistant on Special Communication to the Governor, the Abia State government quickly repudiated the post, which had caused a sensation across the state last week due to its falsehood and controversy.
The Aba Ngwa Peoples Forum, headed by President Chimezie Nwagba and Secretary Chinedu Ahuruonye, also released a statement denouncing the news and demanding the apprehension of the individuals responsible for the false post.
In addition, they pledged that they would never intentionally hinder a project in the state, including the road contract in Port Harcourt.
The police eventually tracked down the poster and had them arraigned at Aba Magisterial District on charges related to attempting to smear the reputation of members of the Aba Ngwa Peoples Forum.
According to the prosecutor’s reading of the charge sheet, MC was found guilty of making the defamatory post within the Aba Magisterial District. The offense is punishable under Section 375 of the Criminal Code, Cap 80, Vol. 111 of the Laws of Abia State Nigeria, 2005.
On one hand, MC Sweet was charged with attempting to tarnish the honor of the Aba Ngwa people through mockery and intolerance.
The defendant pleaded for bail in an effort to write a second post disproving his first, after apologizing to the Aba Ngwa Peoples Forum for the hurtful social media post.
The case was postponed until February 29, 2024, after Chief Magistrate Erinma Enyeribe granted him bail.
On Friday, it remained unclear whether MC Sweet had been successful in meeting the requirements of his bail.
The post, according to Azubuike Osondu Ochieze, an elder of Ngwa territory, was an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the Ngwa people.
While warning young people against abusing social media, Mike Evans, a chieftain of the Labour Party, stated that Governor Alex Otti has been vindicated even more.