Terseer Ugbor, the representative for Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, has initiated a N1 billion defamation lawsuit against Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The suit, filed at the Makurdi High Court, also names two of the governor’s aides—Chief Press Secretary Tersoo Kula and Principal Special Assistant on Media, Isaac Uzaan—as defendants.
Ugbor’s legal action, supported by his lawyer Dr. Emmanuel Agbakor, follows a series of events related to palliative aid for displaced residents in his constituency, which has been ravaged by herdsmen violence.
In the suit, Ugbor refers to letters sent to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on October 9 and 16, 2023, requesting aid for the victims in Kwande Local Government Area, which he claims were left unanswered until May 2024.
He later received approval for relief materials from NEMA, which he acknowledged in a letter upon receiving them.
According to Ugbor, while attending to national matters in the U.S., he arranged for the aid to be transported to Makurdi for safe storage until it could be distributed.
However, Ugbor claims that Governor Alia unlawfully seized the vehicle carrying the relief materials.
When Ugbor raised concerns, he alleges that Uzaan posted defamatory remarks about him on social media. Ugbor also accuses Kula of publishing similar damaging statements on his Facebook page, representing both himself and Governor Alia, on September 18.
Also, Ugbor contended that Governor Alia, in a viral video on Fr. Alia TV Network, accused him of embezzling palliative aid meant for constituents, publicly labeling him a “dishonourable member”.