Nkpa Community Demands Defamation Suit Withdrawal from Kalu

The Niger Data Mobilisation Team and indigenes of Nkpa community in Abia State issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and his former campaign Director-General, Trump Eke, demanding the withdrawal of a defamation suit against public interest advocate Darlington Agoha. This suit arose from Agoha's criticism of the Nkpa Road project, which was financed with N1.3 billion from the Federal Government’s Ecological Fund.

The community, led by Dixon Uwakwe, accused Kalu and Eke of using litigation to intimidate Agoha for questioning the project's execution. They alleged that despite the funding, parts of the road remained incomplete and others had deteriorated.

Agoha's legal counsel, Vincent Nwabueze, described the suit as an intimidation tactic against citizens raising concerns about public projects. Eke defended the lawsuit, asserting that the court should determine the defamation claims while acknowledging Agoha's right to protest.