An activist from South Africa named Boniface Okonkwo was sentenced to 18 months in prison by an Anambra State High Court in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Tuesday for defaming billionaire Sir Emeka Offor.
Okonkwo was found guilty by the court, which was presided over by Justice Vincent Agbata, of inciting hatred on the “Oraifite WhatsApp platform” by calling Offor’s meter manufacturing business a “empty warehouse.”
According Judge Agbata’s ruling, there was enough evidence to convict the defendant.
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However, the judge gave Okonkwo the choice to pay a fine of N500,000.
After Offor filed the allegation, Okonkwo was taken into custody and arrested in January 2024.
The defendant allegedly made a phone conversation in the courtroom, according to the prosecution, which connected him to the defamatory post via the Truecaller app as “overheat.”
According to Justice Agbata, there is no disagreement that Offor and Boniface are Oraifite and are members of the same Oraifite WhatsApp group.
The vice president of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, was among the VIPs that attended the Oraifite community for an event where the subject matter in court began, he added.
“Trouble started when the defamatory publication appeared two days later,” the judge said.
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He pointed out that Okonkwo had previously defended himself through his attorney on the grounds of reasonableness and justification, only to later completely deny the publication’s defamatory content.
S.I. Okonkwo, the defence attorney, responded to the ruling with conflicting emotions, saying that although he was disappointed with the result, he was also relieved that the judge had provided the option of a fine.
He said, “The defence did a good job because the prosecution case which my Lord failed to go into, the person who owns the radio station and the meter factory said to be defamed was not Emeka Offor, but corporate bodies mentioned by the director of the radio station.
“He did not narrow the issue as to whether the defendant is the maker of the alleged defamatory statement.
“But in any case, my Lord is an experienced Judge and he has given his judgment. We as lawyers have done our part and will decide on the next step to take.
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“We will retire to our table and analyse the judgment. But certainly I am not satisfied about the judgment because I did not expect it. My only happiness is that even though he has convicted him, but he gave him option of fine.”
Credit: Punch
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