dicefrost:


Truth is a defense against Libel. If the boss actually owes her, then she did not commit a crime by calling him a debtor

That's a big IF, which neither you nor any other nairalander here castigating the boss can say for certain whether it happened or not, so why not allow e court to hear he matter and make pronouncement

Miscarriage of justice

Na normal thing na
As long as you get money, you can arrest your landlord for calling you a debtor sef
No be Nigerian police?

Myself2:


Are you the judge? So what other legal advice would you have given the claimant since you are against him for taking the legal step of going to court and not resorting to self help.
The claimant has gone to court, let the judge give judicial interepretation to that. How are you so sure the boss was even owing her in the first place, are you a witness to their transactions? The IPO must have done some reasonable amount of investigation before having the boldness to charge the matter to court, so let the court hear both sides and determine the case on its merits or otherwise

If you re-read my comment, I used the word IF; and that is based on the original story and the defense of the worker and the reason for her post. My comment was, if her defense is true; then there is no defamation.

I don't put much weight on Police arrest or their them filing charges, sometimes they are not worth the paper they are written on. Police can arrest anyone, and IPOs can charge anyone. A charge brought against anyone is not a proof in itself. We have seen even Nigerian courts striking out EFCC cases. IPO bringing a charge against someone in Nigeria, especially in a circumstance like this, in majority of the cases; might mean either the defendant did not pay 'bail' money or the 'bail' money was not enough or that the claimant have a deep pocket and must have taken care of the Police and is determine to teach the lady a lesson or to intimidate her to back down and back off.

I don't have to be a Judge to know the law, it is your duty as a citizen to know the law and conduct yourself accordingly and also be able to assert your rights, if the Police or some Boss want to intimidate you.

Lolzzz

Godwin2am:

PLEASE HOW CAN I GO ABOUT IT LEGITLY, COS A CONTRACTOR I WORKED FOR RUN AWAY WITH OUR SALARY AT DANGOTE OIL REFINERY, NEWS SUCH AS THIS KEEP OCCURING AND NOBODY IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

Bro contact Dangote refinery (or whoever you worked for) to see if you can solve the issue directly with them....but your issue is a bit different because you were robbed, while the OP was just having late payment issue.

9jaRealist:


TRUTH is NOT a crime...
Except perhaps in a CROOKED country like Nigeria!

And if you insist that the TRUTH is a "crime"...
How come only one person was arrested and charged?!
>

How do you know she was telling the truth?

Myself2:
The judicial process as pertains to common law stipulates that if a party feels defamed by another, they are at liberty to seek redress in the court of law.Rather than vilifying the claimant, he should be applauded for not resorting to self help or using his position as boss to exact vengeance or punishment on the staff

But that's exactly what he has done!
Instead of a civil case for defamation, he has apparently used his position to initiate a CRIMINAL process.

Defamation is a TORT (ie, a civil wrong rather than a criminal wrong). Accordingly, while he can seek CIVIL redress, getting the police to arrest the lady is an abuse of the coercive power of the state.
>

Obudupikin:
How do you know she was telling the truth?

The post you were responding to...
Was specifically based on the predicate: "Is he a debtor or not Was he owing her or not"

Accordingly, your response...
That her statement was a "crime" even given that premise was patently incorrect under extant law.
>

eazzzy1:
There are things to do to recover a debt, the secretary should have approached the court to help her collect her money. The damages social media will do to his person and business can cost him a huge loss.

I hope the court ask the secretary to pay for his loss, that will serve as deterrent to people who always run to social media with the intent to bring peoples name to disrepute.

frowland:
Calling your boss a debtor publicly without any legal verifiable proof can damage his businesses and affect his ratings which might in turn scare customers and so forth. What I understand is that Nigerians mostly don't understand the legal implications of their actions. A banker calling his CEO a debtor is not same as calling a fish seller debtor. Formal & Informal.

winningwinner:
You don't dey run your mouth abi? So owing her was enough to go on social media to defame his character abi? There is no more debt tribunal in the land?

seborrhic:
That doesn't give her the right to (1)post his pictures on social media (2)Call him a debtor on social media.
There are agencies where issues like that are reported and taken up, including the Consumer protection council.She could even have reported to the police industrial court.
I hope she and others like her learn a bitter lesson.
You cannot defame someone in the social media and expect to get away with it, particularly if it's a civil matter.

sisisioge:
Actually, the guy might have started out by owing her. Then she made the noise on social media. He would have then paid up but she forgot to take the pictures and comment down....that would be the basis of his case. May God help us to be wise.

First, he deserves whatever reputational "damage" he may suffer because the PUBLIC needs to know who they are dealing with...
Second, for the umpteenth time, as long as he is owing salaries, he is a DEBTOR and the truth is a COMPLETE DEFENSE to defamation.

Finally, the police should never had gotten involved...
Defamation is NOT a crime, but a CIVIL offense (a tort).
>

Caseless:

here she admitted committing the crime.
here she pleaded not guilty. She wants to waste the time of the court. This will cost her more.

Sergioaguero:
She agreed to police that she did it, if not, some ppl can claim their account was hacked. Or she use a public network to open another account, and defame. To defame is punishable under law in penal code, under cyber crime again.

descartes400:
Lawyers in the house, local man does not understand....please explain...how can a person commit an offense, an offence he admitted committing and yet pleads not guilty to the charge in court as per the OP story

Telling the police that you committed an act....
Is not synonymous with criminal liability under the law.

It'a like telling police investigators that you shot someone...
But pleading not guilty in court on the grounds of self-defense.
>

9jaRealist:




Telling the police that you committed an act....
Is not synonymous with criminal liability under the law.

It'a like telling police investigators that you shot someone...
But pleading not guilty in court on the grounds of self-defense.
>

good position. Why do defendants who outrightly admit their "guilt" guilt get sentenced? It seems admission of guilt before a judge holds water more than the one done before the police, right?

9jaRealist:


But that's exactly what he has done!
Instead of a civil case for defamation, he has apparently used his position to initiate a CRIMINAL process.

Defamation is a TORT (ie, a civil wrong rather than a criminal wrong). Accordingly, while he can seek CIVIL redress, getting the police to arrest the lady is an abuse of the coercive power of the state.
>

I disagree, he did not need his position to approach the courts. At worst you could say its an abuse of court processes or case was filed wrongly, either way, he did not need his boss position to do this, he should even be pitied as his case could be thrown out for being filed wrongly (if not amended)
The arrest of the defendant by the police could still have happened even in a civil suit, it's what follows thereafter that is key

linearity:


If you re-read my comment, I used the word IF; and that is based on the original story and the defense of the worker and the reason for her post. My comment was, if her defense is true; then there is no defamation.

.

I remember simply responding that would be a big IF as the entire matter rests on this IF
So we are in agreement here

linearity:

.

. Police can arrest anyone, and IPOs can charge anyone. A charge brought against anyone is not a proof in itself. We have seen even Nigerian courts striking out EFCC cases. IPO bringing a charge against someone in Nigeria, especially in a circumstance like this, in majority of the cases; might mean either the defendant did not pay 'bail' money or the 'bail' money was not enough or that the claimant have a deep pocket and must have taken care of the Police and is determine to teach the lady a lesson or to intimidate her to back down and back off.

.

We are also in agreement here

linearity:


I don't have to be a Judge to know the law, it is your duty as a citizen to know the law and conduct yourself accordingly and also be able to assert your rights, if the Police or some Boss want to intimidate you.

You forgot to mention Or If some mischievous staff wants to lie against you as a boss, or slander/defame you in some form

9jaRealist:


The post you were responding to...
Was specifically based on the predicate: "Is he a debtor or not Was he owing her or not"

Accordingly, your response...
That her statement was a "crime" even given that premise was patently incorrect under extant law.
>

And where did I specifically say her statement was a crime?