The lawmaker representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Mr. Terseer Ugbor, has filed a N1 billion suit against Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State for alleged defamation at a Makurdi High Court.
Joined in the suit filed by his counsel, Dr. Emmanuel Agbakor, are the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Tersoo Kula, and a Principle Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Isaac Uzaan.
The lawmaker, in the statement of claim, in the suit marked MHC/422/2024 recalled how he had written two letters dated October 9 and 16, 2023 to the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, requesting for palliatives to support his displaced constituents and victims of herdsmen attacks in Moon, Yaav, Kumakwagh and Mbadura Council Wards of Kwande Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State.
He also recalled how the humanitarian situation in his constituency kept worsening and since there was no positive response from NEMA, he wrote another letter on May 8, 2024 requesting “urgent intervention in support of the victims in Moon, Menev, Liev 1, Liev 2, Yaav, Kumakwagh, Yaav and Mbadura Council Wards of Kwande LGA.
He said: “NEMA finally approved and released relief materials for my constituents as requested, and I wrote a letter on the same date acknowledging receipt.”
The lawmaker stated that on September 11, 2024, while he was in the United States of America attending to matters of national interest, he arranged and conveyed the relief materials from the warehouse of NEMA in Jos to Makurdi for storage at a public commercial warehouse for safety to enable him return and convey the items to his constituency for onward distribution to the IDPs.
He stated that to his surprise, Governor Alia allegedly impounded the vehicle conveying the items and when he raised complaints, Mr. Uzaan allegedly took to his Facebook timeline and published defamatory words against him.
Ugbor also alleged that Mr. Kula, on September 18, also took to his Facebook page and published a press statement for himself and on behalf of Governor Alia, wherein he defamed his character and reputation.
The House of Representatives member further averred that Governor Alia also on the September 18, 2024, “in a video shared on Fr. Alia TV Network, which went viral on social media especially Facebook, made several defamatory statements that he (Ugbor) diverted palliatives meant for IDPs in Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency and referred to him (Ugbor) as a ‘dishonourable member’.”
(Vanguard)
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