*Court Demands Immediate Retractions, Apologies, Threatens Legal Action
The Federal High Court of Nigeria has issued a scathing press release condemning media outlets for erroneously using the photograph of serving Judge Honourable Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu in reports about the horrific murder of retired Delta State High Court Judge, Honourable Justice Ifeoma Okogwu, demanding immediate retractions, apologies, and threatening legal action for defamation and ethical breaches.
In a statement dated November 9, 2025, signed by Catherine Oby Christopher, Ph.D., Director of Information for the Federal High Court, the institution clarified that Justice Ojukwu “is alive, healthy, and currently serving with distinction” and has “no direct, indirect, or remote connection whatsoever” to the slaying of Justice Okogwu. The court described the misuse as “false, misleading, and malicious,” causing “significant emotional distress” to Justice Ojukwu, her family, and the judiciary at large.
The error surfaced in the wake of the gruesome discovery of Justice Okogwu’s body on November 24, 2025, in her Asaba residence, where the 65-year-old retired judge was found bound, gagged, and brutally murdered. Initial media reports, in their haste to illustrate the tragedy, apparently conflated images, leading to widespread online and broadcast dissemination of Justice Ojukwu’s photo as that of the victim.
Delta State Police have since made breakthroughs in the investigation, arresting prime suspect Godwin Mngumi, a 25-year-old security guard employed at Okogwu’s home, on December 7, 2025. A second suspect was also detained, and police recovered the victim’s phone during Mngumi’s apprehension. Authorities described the killing as premeditated, with the plotters allegedly motivated by unresolved grievances, though details remain under wraps pending further probes.
The Federal High Court’s release, while predating the arrests, highlight the broader fallout from the misidentification, labeling it “defamatory, professionally reckless, and legally actionable.” Invoking Nigerian defamation laws, the Cybercrimes Act, and media regulatory standards, the court issued a three-point ultimatum:
“Publication and circulation of Justice Ojukwu’s image in this context… constitutes a breach of fundamental journalistic and ethical standards,” the statement read, urging journalists, bloggers, and publishers to prioritize “strict due diligence” when covering judicial figures whose “reputational integrity is essential to the administration of justice.”
Non-compliance, the court warned, will be treated as “deliberate malice and bad faith,” prompting “appropriate civil and criminal proceedings” against culprits.
Leave a Comment