The sacked Imo State commissioner for foreign affairs, Mr. Fabian Ihekweme may have landed in more trouble, following an allegation of N250, 000 bribery he made against the Imo State Punch Newspaper correspondent, Mr. Chidiebube Okeoma.
Trouble started when Chidiebube Okeoma, while carrying out his constitutional duties as a journalist, was attacked for recording and interviewing protesting sweepers, who were demanding payment of their six months salaries, owed by Senator Hope Uzodinma.
According to Chidiebube Okeoma, he was beaten up by the security operatives attached to the Imo State Government House, and dragged like a common criminal to the Chief Security Officer of Senator Hope Uzodinma, who allegedly deleted all the videos Chidiebube Okeoma had made, at gunpoint. Chidiebube Okeoma revealed what had happened to him upon his release.
His claims of assault was rejected by the Imo State commissioner for information, Mr. Declan Emelumba, who accused Chidiebube Okeoma of working for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP.
Mr. Fabian Ihekweme, probably hoping to score some points of good grace with Senator Hope Uzodinma, as a way to help ensure his reappointment, when Hope Uzodinma re- constitutes his cabinet, allegedly accused Mr Chidiebube Okeoma of receiving the sum of N250, 000 from the PDP, through a United Bank for Africa UBA account.
Chidiebube rejected the claim, stating that he did not have any account with UBA, and challenged Ihekweme to come up with evidence to that effect, or face legal action.
True to his words, Mr. Chidiebube Okeoma, through his lawyers, Mike Ottih and Co, have demanded amongst other things, that Fabian Ihekweme would publish a public apology over the defamatory article he wrote against Chidiebube, and have the apology published on two national dailies as approved by Okeoma, as well as to pay N200million to Mr. Chidiebube Okeoma, as damages for disparaging his name.
Ihekweme was given 14 days in the statement, which was published in several local tabloids, to meet Chidiebube Okeoma’ s demands.
Mr. Fabian Ihekweme had deleted the said article, but not before Chidiebube Okeoma made a screenshot of it, as confirmed by our correspondent who reached out to him.
Also, it should have been noted by Ihekweme, that deleting an article does not mean it cannot be recalled, as a court order to Facebook Nigeria, would ensure the deleted article is presented before a court.
