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The Inspector-General of Police has filed a six-count charge against Emenike Okorie before the Federal High Court in Abuja over social media publications allegedly targeting the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/710/2026 and dated October 26, accuses Okorie, 49, of offences bordering on allegedly false electronic communications, harassment, reputational damage and criminal defamation.
However, in a statement to the police, Okorie said his comments were intended to demand accountability over a ₦348 million garri-processing project reportedly meant for his community in Umuhu Ezechi, Bende Local Government ,Abia State. He disputed claims that the facility had been completed and delivered.
The Federal High Court’s electronic cause list indicated that the case was scheduled for arraignment on October 29 before Justice Ekerete U. Akpan.
The first three counts relate to a message allegedly posted by Okorie on the Umuhu Ezechi Development Union WhatsApp group, in which he accused Kalu of using the community’s name to obtain funds for what he described as a nonexistent garri-processing plant.
The prosecution alleged that the message also described the Deputy Speaker as a “scam” and called for his replacement as the representative of Bende Federal Constituency.
According to the charge, Okorie knowingly transmitted false information allegedly capable of causing a breakdown of law and order and posing a threat to Kalu’s life, contrary to Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.
The second count alleges that the publication amounted to bullying, threatening or harassment that placed Kalu in fear of violence or bodily harm, while the third accuses Okorie of attacking the lawmaker’s reputation under another provision of the Act.
The fourth and fifth counts concern a separate publication allegedly circulated by Okorie, offering ₦10,000 to anyone who correctly identified a person described as the “number 1 aza man in South Africa who turned to number 6 citizen in Nigeria”.
The prosecution contends that the publication referred to Kalu and portrayed him as someone who had defrauded people in South Africa. It further alleges that the message was intended to damage his reputation and, under one of the counts, cause a breakdown of law and order and pose a threat to life.
The sixth count relates to the publication concerning the garri-processing plant, which the police allege exposed Kalu to hatred, contempt or ridicule, contrary to Section 373 and punishable under Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act.
The case followed a petition dated August 15, 2026, submitted to the Inspector-General of Police by Winners Chambers on behalf of the Deputy Speaker.
In the petition, Kalu’s solicitors described the publications as false and calculated to damage his reputation, political standing and professional relationships. They also alleged that the messages had caused him distress and exposed him to threats.
The solicitors requested an impartial investigation into the authorship and circulation of the messages, the preservation of electronic evidence and appropriate legal action if criminal conduct was established.
But in his statement to the police, dated October 23, Okorie maintained that his comments arose from concerns about the location and execution of the garri-processing project.
“I called the Deputy Speaker out on our community WhatsApp group, Umuhu Ezechi Development Union,” he stated, explaining that he wanted Kalu to show community members where the project was located.
Okorie alleged that the Deputy Speaker’s office had issued a statement presenting the plant as completed, equipped and delivered to the community, with only its inauguration pending. He, however, insisted that no such completed facility existed in the community at the time.
“I have evidence of a press statement released by the office of the Deputy Speaker,” he said, referring to the claim concerning the garri-processing plant reportedly valued at ₦348 million.
He further alleged that work on the project commenced only afterwards, disputing the earlier claim that it had been completed.
The allegations form part of Okorie’s account to investigators and have yet to be established by the court.
Describing himself as a produce merchant and politician, Okorie said he served as an elected councillor between 2008 and 2010 and as deputy chairman of Bende Local Government Area between 2014 and 2016.
He also said he supported Kalu during the 2019 election but opposed his bid for another term in 2027.
The prosecution listed Mba Mgboji Mba, identified as a representative of the nominal complainant, as well as Assistant Commissioner of Police Bello Olatunji and members of his investigative team, among its proposed witnesses.
According to the accompanying summary, Mba is expected to testify on the alleged reputational damage and distress caused by the publications, while the police investigators are expected to present evidence of their findings.
Documents listed for presentation at the trial include the petition, statements attributed to the complainant, a witness and the defendant, as well as computer printouts.
The available documents contain no record of Okorie’s plea or any ruling on bail. The allegations against him remain unproven.
