Activist Obi vs Awka Catholic Diocese: Case Adjourned to March 23 for Continued Hearing

The case between human rights activist Comrade Osita Obi and the Catholic Diocese of Awka over alleged cyberbullying and defamation could not proceed on Monday at Magistrate Court 4, Amawbia, in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The Awka Catholic Diocese had dragged Obi to court, accusing him of defaming the Diocese through posts made on his Facebook profile.
After waiting for the court to sit, parties were informed that the presiding magistrate would not be available due to a family emergency.
Consequently, the matter was adjourned to March 23, 2026, for continuation of hearing.
It would be recalled that the Catholic Diocese of Awka instituted legal action against Obi, who is the Coordinator of the Recover Nigeria Project (RNP), alleging that he published defamatory statements against the Diocese on social media.
Obi was first arraigned before Chief Magistrate Esther Chukwu on October 31, 2025. He was granted bail, and the case was adjourned to February 16, 2026.
However, upon his arrival at court on Monday, the activist was informed that proceedings could not go on because the magistrate was attending to a serious family issues.
The new date of March 23 was subsequently fixed for the hearing.
Earlier, in October last year, the court had ordered the complainant the Catholic Diocese of Awka to release all relevant documents to the defendant to enable him prepare his defence adequately. However, the police have yet to comply fully with that order.
The police prosecutor, Inspector Edith Okonkwo, had argued that the defendant could not dictate which documents the police should release.
She maintained that the prosecution was only obligated to disclose documents it intended to rely upon during the trial, not every document requested by the defence.
In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate disagreed, holding that failure to disclose relevant materials could undermine the integrity of the trial and amount to a denial of fair hearing.