A Nigerian blogger and founder of NaijaSpleen.com, Loveday Ogaga Onokwakpor has been charged to an Ihiala magistrate court and facing four count charges of criminal libel and attempted kidnap against the person of rev fr Emmanuel Ede the founder and Chancellor of Madonna University. I visited my hometown Ihiala last week and was told by a relative who is a regular at the magistrate court there that a blogger is being tried for publishing a story against rev fr Ede. so i followed her to see on the day they were said to appear and i was eager to see the Rev fr whom i hold in high esteem.
As a lawyer and activists i sought to know more. The blogger won't speak to me, i don't know why but a human right activist who is monitoring the case for Amnesty International gave me a clue on the case and referred me to other sources if i cared to know more.

According to my source, the blogger was arrested in November 1, 2014 by a combined team of Special Anti-Robbery squad, SARS headquarters Okwuzi Anambra state where Father Ede had lodged a complaint against the blogger.

In 2012 after the NUC suspended six private universities including Madonna University, Ogaga had published the story like every other blogger and news media. then reactions came as comments and he published a star comment from someone who claimed to be a Madonna student and that generated more comments and naijaspleen became a forum for Madonna Student, their friends and family including graduates of the school.

So in September 2014 the blogger started receiving emails from so called staff of Madonna University using an email related to Madonna University urging the blogger to remove the post from his blog. sometimes they were mild sometimes came threats. They accused the blogger of not visiting Madonna to get Father Ede's side of the story before publishing.

so in October after a chat with one of the correspondence, the blogger deleted the post from his blog and a week later his mother and married sister were arrested from Port Harcourt by tracking using his numbers they got from his blog and detained overnight at Okwuzu where they led SARS to Benin where Ogaga lives as a student.

He was arrested on kidnapping allegation but only got to know the real reason at OKwuzu in Anambra state. Following pressure from Amnesty International who were calling the Police from Uk and some Human Right organisations in Nigeria, especially HURSDEF in Port Harcourt, instead of releasing the blogger as they had agreed, he was charged to court 10 days after despite peace agreement between him and father ede.

The case has been in court since 2014 and there has been so many twist to the case.The blogger has changed his lawyers four times, the case is being handled by a third magistrate. The second one, the chief was petitioned by the blogger's lawyer before the high court and he stepped down, the prosecuting counsel stepped down and the case is being handled now by a DPP from Nnewi as the prosecutor, the blogger evaded court and a bench warrant issued and later charged for contempt of court.

According to my source an International organisation based in Uk, Media Legal Defence Initiative, MLDI is providing legal and financial support to the blogger's legal team.
The blogger apart from spending almost two weeks in SARS detention centre, spent up to three days in Onitsha prison while waiting to secure his bail, he also spent more than a week at Nnewi prison. The Rev father in all this years has not appeared in court but sends a proxy, one Emmanuel Adama the CSO of Madonna Okija campus and that is being contested by his lawyers.

I hear the blogger has dropped out of school as he has been unable to meet up with school due to the case and imprisonments. the case has been adjourned to September for further hearing. the blogger according to his online profile indictes he is a graduate of Electrical/Electronic from the Polytechnic calabar.

IN THE MAGISTRATE’S COURT OF ANAMBRA STATE OF NIGERIA
IN THE MAGISTRATE’S COURT OF IHIALA MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT
HOLDEN AT IHIALA
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE
VS
LOVEDAY OGAGA ONOKWAKPOR ‘M’ 37YRS
CHARGE NO …MIH/292C/2014
COUNT I
That you loveday ogaga Onokwakpor ‘m’ and others now at large on the 5th day of July 2012 at Okija in the Ihiala magistrate district did conspire with yourselves to commit felony to wit: Publishing deformentry matters and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 495 (a) of the criminal code cap 36 Vol II revised laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 1991
COUNT II
That you Loveday Ogaga Onokwakpor ‘m’ and others now at large on the same date and place in the aforesaid magisterial District did unlawfully published in the internet a paper which is likely to cause or injure the reputation by exposing Rev Fr Ede to hatred contempt or ridicule or likely to damage him in his profession and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 325 of the criminal code cap 36 Vol II Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 1991
COUNT III
That you Loveday Ogaga Onokwakpor ‘m’ and others now at large between 1st and 30th Sept 2014 at Okija in the Ihiala magistrate district did conspire with yourselves to commit felony to wit: Threatening to kidnap with phone and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 495 (a) of the criminal code cap 36 Vol II revised laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 1991
COUNT IV
That you Loveday Ogaga Onokwakpor ‘m’ and others now at large on the same date and place in the aforesaid Magisterial District did threatened to kidnap one Rev Fr Ede with your phone number 08033453606 and 08097434066 unless the sum of two million Naira (N2,000,000.00) is paid to you and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 3 of the criminal code Amendment Laws of Anambra State 2011.

this country sha