Court Jails UNIZIK Ex-Lecturer For Defamatory Comments On Facebook

Peter Ekemezie, a former lecturer in the chemistry department of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, was given a six-month prison term for making derogatory allegations about a professor named Alex Asigbo.

Ekemezie was given the option of paying a N300,000 fine despite being charged with three counts that bordered on forgery and defamation.

The defendant spent one month in a mental health facility and four months in a correctional facility, according to His Worship, E.C. Chukwu, who delivered the verdict on Tuesday at an Awka Magistrates’ court.

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”