We have observed with deep concern the patently false and malicious narrative being circulated by an amorphous group, whose sole aim appears to be the deliberate smearing of the character and reputation of Hon. Oden Ewa. This group, operating under the guise of public interest, has attempted out of plain ignorance, mischief, or both to distort a civil judgment of the High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, into a criminal scandal.
This libelous publication appeared in an online medium called Summit Post, under the headline “Groups Demand Gov Otu’s Aide Resignation Over Diamond Bank ₦208m Fraud Scandal”, dated 11 October 2025. The story is not only misleading but also a deliberate attempt to misinform the public and malign the integrity of Hon. Oden Ewa.
The matter in question involves a civil dispute between two parties over a commercial transaction. In a lawful and civil manner, one party approached the court to resolve the disagreement. It is therefore absurd and legally unfounded to twist a civil suit into a criminal matter. If such distortion were to be accepted, then thousands of Nigerians with civil cases pending in courts across the country from the Magistrate’s Courts to the Supreme Court would be unjustly labelled as criminals. This notion is not only baseless but represents the height of absurdity.
It is also clear that the hawkish writer behind this fictitious group, driven by vendetta or a political gambit, is on an expedition to fish for scurrilous allegations against Hon. Oden Ewa. Their actions are motivated by fear of his ever-rising profile and popularity, which has evidently unsettled the individual they are masquerading for. In their desperation to score cheap political points, they have resorted to subterfuge and misrepresentation ignorantly believing that such tactics will sway the minds of the many who hold Hon. Ewa in high regard.
They are wasting their time. If they are truly serious, let them come out in the open and lay their allegations plainly, rather than contemptuously misrepresenting the judgment of a competent court. The public deserves truth, not fiction dressed in political desperation.
We urge the media and the public to treat this smear campaign with the disdain it deserves and to remain vigilant against attempts to weaponize civil litigation for political blackmail.
Signed,
Obol Okoi Obono-Obla
Concerned Stakeholders for Justice and Integrity
