Court Arraigns Activist Over Facebook Post Against Awka Catholic Diocese
By Sunny A. David, Awka
In a case highlighting the growing tension between free speech and defamation laws in Nigeria’s digital age, human rights activist Comrade Osita Obi has been arraigned before an Anambra State Magistrate Court over an alleged defamatory Facebook post against the Catholic Diocese of Awka.
The case, filed by the Commissioner of Police and presided over by Magistrate E.C. Chukwu, accuses Obi of publishing a post on 15 August 2025 comparing the Awka Diocese to Boko Haram and bandits, and saying it was “better to deal with Lucifer than with the Church.”
According to the prosecution, represented by I.J. Umeh of the State CID’s Legal Department, the post damaged the Church’s and Rev. Fr. Chudy P.S. Aguinam’s reputations, exposing them to public ridicule.
The offence, they noted, contravenes Section 324(a) and is punishable under Section 325 of the Anambra Criminal Code.
Obi pleaded not guilty, and his counsel, Blessing Arinze-Obi, successfully applied for bail, citing his client’s good conduct. The court granted bail in the sum of ₦200,000 with one surety not below Grade Level 10 in the civil service.
The activist, however, told the court that his post stemmed from a long-standing property dispute between his family and the Diocese, alleging that the Church had unlawfully seized his wife’s shop and goods.
Magistrate Chukwu cautioned both parties against making further inflammatory statements and adjourned the case to 15 December 2025 for trial.
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