Court okays Otti’s ₦100bn defamation suit to be served via social media

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court has granted Alex Otti, Abia state governor, permission to serve court documents in his ₦100 billion defamation suit against Eze Chikamnayo, a former commissioner for information, through Facebook and WhatsApp.

In a ruling delivered on October 16, Justice J.E. Obanor approved Otti’s application for substituted service, allowing the court bailiff to serve the writ of summons and other processes on Chikamnayo via his Facebook account, “Iyierioba Chikamnayo”, and his registered phone and WhatsApp number.

The case has been adjourned to January 19, 2026, for hearing.

In the motion ex parte filed by Sonny Ajala, Otti’s counsel, the governor asked the court to permit substituted service, citing Chikamnayo’s previous use of the same channels to receive a solicitor’s demand letter.

The letter, dated October 2, 2025, had requested a retraction of several allegedly defamatory online publications.

The suit, filed on October 8, 2025 (Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/3921/2025), followed Chikamnayo’s alleged failure to issue a public apology and retract the posts.

Otti, through his counsel, is seeking a declaration that his reputation, goodwill, and standing as a person, husband, father, and political leader were gravely damaged by what he described as Chikamnayo’s “persistent, false and malicious online publications” on Facebook.

Court filings referenced several posts published between July and September 2025, including those captioned: “Alex Otthief is a confirmed criminal and disaster” (September 22, 2025); “Fighting Promax” (September 21, 2025); “Old or New Abia?” (September 14, 2025); “Sabbath Message” (September 13, 2025); “Still on the matter” (September 9, 2025); “Alex Otthief is a confirmed criminal and congenital liar = Looting Governor” (August 15, 2025); and “Government of Alex Otthief for Zignature Bank = Ruin Abia” (July 21, 2025).

The governor is demanding ₦100 billion in general damages for alleged loss of reputation, psychological distress, and emotional trauma caused by the posts.

He is also asking the court to compel Chikamnayo to publish an unreserved apology for each of the posts on his Facebook page and in some selected national newspapers.

In addition, Otti seeks a perpetual injunction restraining Chikamnayo from “writing, authoring, sharing, broadcasting, forwarding, or syndicating any content defamatory of the claimant” across all media platforms, including social and traditional media. He is also demanding ₦250 million as the cost of prosecuting the suit.

Obanor, the presiding judge, ordered that Chikamnayo must enter an appearance within 30 days of being served or risk judgement being entered against him in default.

In the earlier demand letter, Ajala stated that Otti was “the only sitting governor in Nigeria bearing the name Alex Chioma Otti”, leaving no ambiguity about whom the online posts referred to.

He described the publications as “false, malicious, and calculated to instigate public hatred”.

Ajala, a senior advocate of Nigeria, added that Otti’s “integrity has remained stainless” throughout his career, during which he rose to become managing director and chief executive officer of Diamond Bank Plc before venturing into politics.

The letter accused Chikamnayo’s posts of causing “unquantifiable mental torture, depression, denigration, and brutal destruction of reputation built over the decades”, warning that failure to retract them within seven days would lead to legal action — a warning that has now resulted in court proceedings.