Breaking:Bayelsa High Court Dismisses Otuaro’s ₦1bn Defamation Suit Against Journalist, Media Firm
by Paul Ebi
Yenagoa — The High Court of Bayelsa State, sitting in Yenagoa, on Monday dismissed a ₦1 billion defamation suit filed by the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Chief Dennis Brutu Otuaro, against journalist Akpos Passman and Tarakirivoice Newspaper Enterprise.
Delivering judgment in Suit No. BHYCYHC/CV/182/2025, Justice Charlie Ebiyon Duke held that while the court had jurisdiction to entertain the matter and that Tarakirivoice Newspaper Enterprise, as a registered business name, was properly sued, the claimant failed to discharge the burden of proof required in an action for defamation.
Chief Otuaro had approached the court in May 2025, alleging that two online publications and an accompanying WhatsApp voice note published in September 2024 and April 2025 defamed him by accusing him of financial impropriety in the administration of the Amnesty Programme. He sought declaratory reliefs, a perpetual injunction, public apologies in national newspapers and online platforms, and ₦1 billion in damages.
At trial, the claimant called two witnesses and tendered three exhibits, including online printouts and a flash drive. The defendants called one witness and denied authorship of the publications, contending that the reports were not written by the first defendant and that the platforlm hosts multiple contributors.
In his ruling, Justice Duke reviewed the essential elements of defamation under Nigerian law, noting that a claimant must establish publication, reference to the claimant, defamatory meaning, publication to third parties, falsity, and absence of lawful justification. While the court found that the reports referred to Chief Otuaro and were published on the second defendant’s platform, it held that the claimant failed to prove the falsity of the allegations.
“The claimant did not place credible evidence before the court to establish that the statements complained of were false,” the judge held, adding that the testimony led on financial transactions amounted to hearsay and that the claimant himself did not testify to deny the allegations under cross-examination. Consequently, the court rejected one of the exhibits and dismissed the suit in its entirety.
Post-Judgment Arrest Claims
Following the judgment, Akpos Passman alleged that he was accosted by puff Adda police officers shortly after the ruling while standing along the Sani Abacha Expressway in Yenagoa. According to his account, he was taken to two police formations for questioning over a petition bearing Chief Otuaro’s name, but was later released after officers reviewed the court judgment and declined to proceed with the matter.
Passman described the incident as an attempt at intimidation, a claim that could not be independently verified as of press time. Police authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the allegations.
The ruling marks a significant legal setback for the PAP administrator’s defamation claim and underscores the evidentiary burden placed on public officials seeking redress over media publications.
