Defamation: Ekeanyanwu Drags Mbaitoli Council Chairman Nwanegwo to Police Zone 9
Demands Implementation of High Court judgement
By our Reporter
The Executive Chairman of Mbaitoli Local Government Area, Hon. Ifunanya Lactus Nwanegwo, has been invited by the Nigeria Police Force, Quick Intervention Unit, Zone 9, Umuahia, Abia State, over allegations of defamation and cyberstalking.
The invitation followed a disagreement between Hon. Nwanegwo and Chief Uzoma Ekeanyanwu over the interpretation and implementation of a judgment of the Imo State High Court on the ownership of shops, open sheds, and land spaces at the International Modern Market, Egbeada/Ubomiri.
The suit, instituted by individuals described as the authentic owners of the market shops, sheds, and land spaces, was decided in their favour by the Imo State High Court. According to the claimants, all motions for stay of execution have elapsed, and the judgment remains subsisting.
Chief Ekeanyanwu alleged that while replying to an earlier letter served on the Mbaitoli Local Government Council regarding what he described as negligence in complying with the court judgment, statements credited to the council chairman defamed his character and amounted to cyberstalking against him and his lawyer, Barrister Ikechukwu Nwaopara.
According to Ekeanyanwu, the police duly served Hon. Nwanegwo and two others with invitations to appear for interrogation and investigation over the allegations which they declined.
He further stated that although there is a pending appeal at the Court of Appeal, referenced as CA/OW/268/2025, the appeal does not include a valid motion for stay of execution of the High Court judgment delivered in favour of the shop owners.
In a letter titled “Final Notice to All Illegal Occupants on the Lock-up Shops, Open Sheds and Land Space at the Imo State International Modern Market, Egbeada/Ubomiri to Vacate and Deliver Up Possession”, Hon. Nwanegwo reportedly warned against any conduct capable of breaching public peace in the state as his response to the letter dated January 13, 2026, and filed on January 14, 2026, at the Registry of the Imo State High Court, Nwaorieubi whereas the Council Authority are aware that Government is a continuous and should be able to get every necessary information and act on the right thing by wholeheartedly accepting the Verdict.
Reacting, Chief Ekeanyanwu said it was unfortunate that the shop allocations being questioned were made by the same Mbaitoli Local Government Council in 2018 and 2019, and were later validated by the Imo State High Court in its July 2025 judgment. He maintained that the court had affirmed the authenticity, authority, and legality of the allocations.
Ekeanyanwu expressed displeasure over what he described as attempts by the council chairman to portray him negatively, stating that such actions were damaging to his reputation. He denied any involvement in violence or actions capable of causing unrest, insisting that the issue remained purely a matter of lawful enforcement of a court judgment.
He called on the Mbaitoli Local Government Council to respect the rule of law and comply fully with the judgment of the court.
