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Police arraign suspected fake doctor over alleged defamation

By Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja
27 February 2017   |   1:59 am
The police have charged Mr. Martins Ugwu Okpeh before the Federal Capital Territory Magistrate’s Court for alleged defamation of character and injurious falsehood.

Okpeh

The police have charged Mr. Martins Ugwu Okpeh before the Federal Capital Territory Magistrate’s Court for alleged defamation of character and injurious falsehood.

It would be recalled that Okpeh, 44, was arraigned before Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court last year over allegation of serving under the Ministry of Health as a fake doctor.

The prosecution counsel, Victor Nwadike, told the court on Friday that the extant matter was reported to the Inspector General of Police through a written petition by one Prof. Abdulsalami Nasidi of 28 Cairo Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.

According to Nwadike, the defendant between January 2016 and February 2017, published on his Facebook and WhatsApp pages that the complainant was a thief and a looter.

The prosecution added that the defendant had also told people that the complainant embezzled funds earmarked for the fight against Ebola virus and other diseases by the Federal Ministry of Health.

The counsel alleged that the defendant maliciously published different write-ups on his Facebook and WhatsApp pages with the intention of damaging the reputation of Nasidi, an offence, which contravened the provisions of Sections 392 and 393 of the Penal Code.

When the charge was read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty. Subsequently, the defence counsel, Dominic Anyiador, asked the court to grant his client bail, as the offense was bailable.

However, Chief Magistrate Azubike Ukeagwu granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties. The matter has been fixed for March 27 for the prosecution to call its witnesses.

Another victim of alleged assault by Okpeh, Kehinde John protested outside the courtroom. John, a retired director of the Ministry of Health, accused the defendant of circulating false information against him, aside threatening his life.

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