Alleged Missing Imo Bailout Fund: ‘Gov. Okorocha’s Maladministration is Uche Nwosu’s Problem not our Story’, Newspaper tells court

Trumpeta Newspaper has told an Owerri High Court that Governor Rochas Okorocha’s son in-law and Chief of Staff Mr. Uche Nwosu is being shunned by the public because the governor has caused pains and hardship on the people of Imo State and not because of its alleged publication on the controversial missing Bailout Fund belonging to the Imo State Government.

This was contained in the defence filed by the newspaper in suit number HOW/592/2015 between Mr. Nwosu and two Owerri-based newspapers.

In the defence settled by the tabloid’s counsel Emperor N. Iwuala & Co., Trumpeta Newspaper who is sued as third defendant in the suit while denying disclosing the identity of the victim of its story on the controversial missing fund among other things alleged that the governor is the architect of his in-laws woes.

‘The Claimant (Uche Nwosu) is shunned by the public not because of 3rd Defendant’s (Trumpeta’s) publication but because he is one of the arrow heads in an unpopular government now in Imo State that does not follow due process, obey court judgements; pay salaries to its employees as at when due; a government that is owing retired primary school teachers up to 20 months of arrears of unpaid pensions; a government that has inflicted so much hardship on Imo people etc….’.

It could be recalled that some weeks ago, the media was inundated with stories of alleged missing billions of money said to be the Bailout Fund for Imo State which was in the house of a certain top government functionary in Imo State.

Others sued in the suit are the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the Community Watchdog Precious Nwadike and his newspaper.