NewStats: 3,264,689 , 8,184,420 topics. Date: Thursday, 12 June 2025 at 04:00 AM 4c6q40

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has demanded a retraction, public apology, and the sum of N50bn in damages from one Hon. Tobias Chukwudi Egeonu, also known as Hon. Toby Chuks, for allegedly publishing a defamatory post against him on Facebook.

The demand, contained in a letter dated December 13, 2024, was issued on the governor’s behalf by his legal counsel, Dr. Sonny Ajala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria at Deeplaw Associates.

The publication, titled ‘What Alex Otti Cannot Destroy Does Not Exist: Vol. 1,’ was posted on Egeonu’s Facebook wall on December 8, 2024.

Egeonu, who calls himself a public affairs analyst and political commentator, in the social media post, accused Otti of mismanagement of funds during his time as Group Managing Director of the defunct Diamond Bank and corruption in his current role as governor of Abia State, among others.

But reacting, Ajala described Chuks’ post as “unwarranted online libelous publication from the pits of hell”. In the letter dated December 13, 2024, the senior advocate called the allegations “patented falsehood” that have caused “unquantifiable mental torture, depression, denigration, corrosive erosion of reputation” to Governor Otti.

According Ajala, the post has damaged Otti’s standing in the eyes of the public, the banking community, and the people of Abia State.

He gave Chuks seven days to comply with Governor Otti’s demands, which include a written retraction of the defamatory post to be published on his Facebook page and in four national dailies and a written apology to be published on Chuks’ Facebook page.

The senior advocate further demanded on behalf of Otti the payment of N50bn in damages for the harm caused to his client’s reputation. He warned that failure to comply within the stipulated time frame will result in legal action.

“By your online libelous publication on your Facebook Wall, ‘Hon. Toby Chuks’ on the 8th day of December, 2024, which you ought to know and indeed knew to be patented falsehood, you let loose your intent to cast on permanent form, retrievable and available to the global audience, your syndicated tissues of wicked and malicious lies against our client.

As at the date of this demand letter, numerous persons have read your distasteful online publication, 25 persons have commented on your libelous publication. Countless persons have read the offensive publications on the several WhatsApp platforms that you re-published and circulated the false allegations against our client,” part of the letter read.

“Our client unequivocally denies in its entirety the false and disparaging online publication on your Facebook Wall, ‘Hon. Toby Chuks captioned; ‘What Alex Otti Cannot Destroy Does Not Exist: Vol. 1’ published on 8th December, 2024 and your subsequent Vol. 2 published through the same medium days after.

Our client informed us and we truly believe him that he has no criminal indictment whatsoever and that the content of your online publication in its entirety are blatant falsehood.”

Governor Otti’s are as follows: “A written retraction of your offensive and malicious online defamatory publication of 8th December, 2024 captioned; ‘What Alex Otti Cannot Destroy Does Not Exist: Vol. 1’ to be published/circulated on your Facebook Wall ‘Hon. Toby Chuks and the said retraction to be further published in four national dailies to wit; the Thisday Newspaper, the Punch Newspaper, the Nation Newspaper and the national Ambassador Newspaper.

“A written APOLOGY from you to our client to be published/circulated on your Facebook Wall ‘Hon. Toby Chuks just as your offensive online defamatory publication of 8th December, 2024 captioned; ‘What Alex Otti Cannot Destroy Does Not Exist: Vol. 1.’

“Compensation of N50Billion (Fifty Billion Naira) to our client, for your false and malicious online defamatory publication of 8th December, 2024 captioned; ‘What Alex Otti Cannot Destroy Does Not Exist: Vol. 1’ that grossly tarnished the reputation of our client before his colleagues’ in the financial sector, his political associates and the good people of Abia State that elected him their Governor in 2023.”

https://thewhistler.ng/gov-otti-demands-n50bn-from-facebook--over-defamatory-post/

50billion

Afe Babalola is still learning.

Can Toby Chuks alone raise ₦50b or is Otti expecting Mark Zuckerberg to pay the money?😂

zero8zero:
“patented falsehood” that have caused “unquantifiable mental torture, depression, denigration, corrosive erosion of reputation” to Governor Otti.

Haba! E reach like that? 😂

If this person knows what's good for him he should run

Even if the man and his unborn family is sold to the highest bidder on ebay and other e-commerce sites, can they raise the N50b

It shall never be well with anyone who contributed to the emergence of a drug criminal and fake ant like Bola Tinubu.

Hmm

Excellent stuff, now that people are fighting back against online miscreants and misbehaviour, Obidients might get some sense at last.

Sit at home people

🤣🤣🤣🤣😆😆😆

You talk anymore, you see anyhow......since most Nigerians talks foolishly and recklessly online . They need to be taught a lesson.

This one nah confirm rough play. Person wey no even get up to 800million for naim wan pay 50bn

Latest sue sue, choking the poor to shut up.

People must learn to talk responsibly on social media.

Nawa o

the new madness is here

Osudient in trouble ! 2025 is going to be agony,dealth and doomed to isudients the hater of the country!

Wahala for thief were no Sabi run 😂😂

People should learn to press their keyboard with brains

At least he's given him fair warning, he didn't whisk him away with Abia State police right away.

Mctewwww

Obidients are running away from this thread because their darling Alex Otti cannot tolerate freedom of speech they have been preaching.

-Kiss the truth!

Hmmmm

This is good development.
Nigerians will learn the hard way

pretydiva:
Mctewwww

Who are you mcteewwing to?, Alex Otti or Toby Chucks?

-Kiss the truth!

Nigerians and legal wahala. Any small thing I sue you for so so so billions

Obidense governor

Let's see whether Obidenses will attack their governor over this. We will not stop telling them that whatever they are attacking the government of the day for, their favourite political candidates can do worse. It is lack of opportunity that is making their candidates look like saint.

There is no right candidate anywhere. Vote your shit during elections and allow others vote their own shit in peace

Otti should keep making the man more popular, in Obidenses voice

🤭🤭🤣🤣 una think say na everybody be Tinubu who no care about una nonsense talk online, the people governor I add 50b to it sir. 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣😂😂
If na to take one , I will go for the one who said he stop using social media because of Obedient bullying than the one who knack 50b on top of one person. Abahmahnah Aboki 50b?🤭🤭🤭🤭

MamaOghenero:
It shall never be well with anyone who contributed to the emergence of a drug criminal and fake ant like Bola Tinubu.

Noisemaker....
Always talking rubbish.

The post is about your kinsmen....how does this relate to Jagaban.

Hear me, and hear me very well....Tinubu would be the president of Nigeria till May 28 2031..

TimeManager:
Obidients are running away from this thread because their darling Alex Otti cannot tolerate freedom of speech they have been preaching.

-Kiss the truth!

Sometimes, you try to make use of your brain. The governor said the man made a false claim about him and has made his demand. He didn't abduct the man. By the time the matter gets to court if the man feels he is accurate, he will defend himself. The governor didn't send police to abduct him

He that Alleged should substantiate

TimeManager:
Obidients are running away from this thread because their darling Alex Otti cannot tolerate freedom of speech they have been preaching.

-Kiss the truth!

Obidafts are ignorant , hypocrite, and confused.
Double standing people....
No sane person takes them serious.