Court orders arrest of The Sun columnist for contempt
(Nigeria) An Umuahia Magistrate Court in Abia State on
Monday ordered the arrest of Mr Ebere Wabara, a columnist with The Sun
Newspapers, for alleged failure to appear in court.
The court presided by
Chief Magistrate John Ukpai also ordered the arrest of Mr Chuks Onuoha, the
Abia correspondent of The Sun Newspaper, who reportedly secured bail for Wabara
on Saturday.
Wabara, who is also an aide to former Governor Orji Kalu of
Abia State, was arrested by the police in Lagos on Friday and handed over to
the police command in Umuahia.
He was arraigned on a 10-count charge of sedition and
malicious publications in different editions of The Sun Newspapers.
The prosecution counsel, Chief Chukwunyere Nwabuko, said
that Wabara, along with others at large, was alleged to have on March 10,
authored a defamatory article in The Sun Newspaper, page 21, entitled “T.A.
Orji’s 7 years Demystification of Kalu’.
Nwabuko said the publication was intended to discredit Governor
Orji in different editions of the newspaper and injure the reputation of Chief
Chinedu Orji, the governor’s son.
``The publication also intended to expose Chinedu to hatred,
contempt or ridicule by describing him as a terrorist, knowing same to be
false, thereby committed an offence. The offence is punishable under the
Criminal Code Cap 80 Vol 3 Laws of Abia State of Nigeria 2005,’’ he said.
Nwabuko alleged that Wabara had in one of his publications
alleged that Chinedu, on March 15, ordered the shooting of his former Personal
Assistant, late Mr John Ndubuka.
According to him, the license to write does not confer on
Wabara the license to malicious writing and sedition against law abiding
citizens.
Meanwhile, Onuoha, who secured his bail, told NAN on phone
that he was not aware that Wabara was served any summons by the court.
He said that Wabara arrived in Umuahia late on Saturday and
was released on bail same night by the police.
According to him, the defendant went back to Lagos by bus on
Sunday morning and was said to have taken ill and hospitalised shortly after.
``The directive I got for his bail was that I should produce
him at the police headquarters on Monday morning. I am not aware of the court
order for his arrest or arraignment,’’ Onuoha said.
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