- He is also requesting a public apology to be published in at least five national newspapers and on social media
A federal lawmaker representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency, Terseer Ugbor, has filed a N1 billion defamation lawsuit against Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, accusing the governor of falsely alleging that he diverted relief materials meant for internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The lawsuit, submitted on Friday to the Benue State High Court in Makurdi, also names the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, and another media aide, Isaac Uzaan, as defendants.
Ugbor is seeking a court order directing Governor Alia and his aides to remove all defamatory posts about him from their Facebook pages. He is also requesting a public apology to be published in at least five national newspapers and on social media.
The lawmaker claims that despite his repeated requests to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for palliatives for victims of herdsmen attacks in Kwande Local Government Area, Governor Alia falsely accused him of diverting these materials.
Ugbor explained that while he was attending to national matters in the United States on 11 September 2024, he had arranged for the transportation of NEMA-approved relief items from Jos to a public warehouse in Makurdi for safekeeping until his return. However, the vehicle transporting the items was reportedly impounded by Alia’s administration.
Following this, Ugbor alleged that Uzaan posted a defamatory article on Facebook, accusing him of neglecting the IDPs. The lawmaker further claimed that Alia, in a video shared on social media on 18 September, accused him of dishonourable conduct and of diverting relief materials.
In addition to the N1 billion in damages, Ugbor is seeking a perpetual injunction to prevent the governor and his aides from making further defamatory statements about him.
A hearing date for the case has not yet been set.