BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
AN Ebonyi State-based medical doctor, Olinya Bartholomew, has been dragged to a Chief Magistrate’s Court, sitting in Abakaliki, for alleged defamatory publications on the social media, against a past Chairman of the Resident Doctors Association of the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching hospital, Abakaliki.
Olinya was arraigned on a three-count charge, in a suit numbered MAB/52c/2021, filed by the immediate past Chairman of the Resident Doctors Association, Osuagwu Chinedum, for accusing him of looting money meant for their dead colleagues, among other allegations.
During the arraignment, the defence counsel, Uchenna Emeh, called for all inventories relating to the matter from the prosecution to enable them defend the charge as required by law and for the bail of his cilent in most liberal terms.
Police prosecutor attached to the courts objected the bail application, saying the accused person might jump bail by traveling abroad.
Reacting, the trial Chief Magistrate, Chinedu Agama, held that the charge was just an allegation and granted the suspect bail in the sum of N100,000, and one surety, who must be a civil servant from Grade Level 12 and above.
The surety, the Magistrate said, must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court, must swear to affidavit of means, and bring a letter of identification from his employer and the court to verify all details.
The matter was adjourned to February 22, 2021 for hearing.
Meanwhile , shortly after the court pronouncement, the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in the area, Dr Banjamin Umezurike, appealed to the court to allow them settle out of court, which was graciously granted.
The charge read, “That you Olinya Bartholomew ‘m’ on 03/ /09/2020 at Alex Ekwueme Teaching Hospital, in the jurisdiction of this honorable court, did publish a defamatory matter against the person of Dr Osuagwu Chinedu Philip, whom you referred to in Abakaliki Medical Doctors (ARD) WhatsApp platform as a political nonentity whose aim as chairman of Resident Doctors Association is to destabilise Abakaliki resident doctors, knowing same to be false and with intent to bring Dr Osuagwu to public ridicule, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 375 of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Vol 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria 2009.
“That you Olinya Bartholomew ‘m’ between 6/12/20 and 19/01/21 in the aforementioned magisterial district did publish defamatory matters against the person of Dr Osuagwu whom you severally accused of looting money meant for dead colleagues in the WhatsApp group platform of the Nigerian Medical Association, State and Zonal, Ebonyi State, knowing same to be false with intent to bring Dr Osuagwu to public ridicule and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 375 of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Volume 1 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.
“That you Olinya ‘m’ in these period and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did call Dr Osuagwu Chinedum an “Osupikin” meaning son of an outcast in the Nigerian Medical Association Ebonyi State WhatsApp platform, knowing same to be false with intent to bring Dr Osuagwu to public ridicule and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 375 of Criminal Code Cap 33 Volume 1 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.”
