Ms Mfon Abia has been ordered by an Uyo High Court in Akwa Ibom State presided over by Justice Margaret-Mary Udoma to pay the sum of N500,000 to Mrs. Regina Udobong, the former manager, Public and Government Affairs, Joint Venture Operations of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU), as damages for libel.
Delivering judgment in Suit No: HU/375/2018 between Udobong and Abia, Justice Udoma ordered Ms Abia to write and publish a written apology to Mrs. Udobong in the same social media, the LinkedIn Online Professional Platform.
The judge asked Ms Abia to pay N50,000 as cost of action.
She said: “In the interest of justice pursuant to Order 20 Rules 1 and 9 of the High Civil Procedure Rule 2009 of Akwa Ibom State and the Supreme Court decision in the case of Banna Vs Telepower Nig Ltd (2007,144 LRCN pg.440 at 455 ratio), the instant motion on notice of 13/6/2019 is granted.”
The judge ruled that the defendant (Abia) was guilty of falsely and maliciously publishing libellous materials concerning Udobong on social media in the LinkedIn Online Professional Platform to the entire world, read by numerous persons within and outside Nigeria.
Udobong had sued Abia (a separated employee of the company in 2016) for allegedly denigrating her person and character, through sundry social media attacks between October 26, 2018 and November 4, 2018.
