A former Commissioner for Education in Benue State, Professor Dennis Ityavyar, has filed a ₦1 billion lawsuit at the State High Court in Makurdi against the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kula Tersoo, over alleged defamation of character.
The suit, which was filed on Tuesday by Ityavyar’s legal counsel, Clement Mue, also joined Governor Hyacinth Alia, the Benue State Government, and the Attorney General of the State as second to fourth defendants, respectively.
In his statement of claim, Professor Ityavyar alleged that on July 17, 2025, Mr. Tersoo held a press briefing at the Benue State Government House in Makurdi, which was widely reported by various media outlets, both in print and online. During that briefing, according to Ityavyar, the CPS made several false, malicious, and defamatory statements targeted at his person.
One of the statements credited to Tersoo read: “It is unfortunate that someone who presided over the rot in the education sector for eight years would now have the audacity to criticise a government that is focused on fixing the mess he left behind.
Professor Ityavyar oversaw the collapse of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Makurdi. He is linked to unaddressed scholarship fraud and illegal student levies. The recent outburst by Professor Ityavyar was a preemptive move to stir public sympathy ahead of potential accountability measures.”
Reacting to the comments, Ityavyar said the remarks were completely untrue and intended to malign his character. He stated that following the publication, he received numerous calls and messages from family, friends, political allies, and professional colleagues, both within and outside Benue State, all expressing shock and disbelief at the allegations.
He added that the comments gravely damaged his reputation, caused him emotional pain, and exposed him to public ridicule, political misrepresentation, and professional embarrassment. He described the statements as deliberately false, malicious, and calculated to destroy the credibility and goodwill he had built over the years.
In suit No. MHC/131/2025, Ityavyar is seeking a declaration that the statements made and published by Mr. Tersoo on July 17 were false, defamatory, and malicious. He is also asking the court to order Mr. Tersoo to publish a full and unequivocal retraction of the statements in at least two national newspapers, as well as on all official media platforms that carried the original publication.
Additionally, the former commissioner is demanding a formal written apology from Tersoo, which must be published in the same manner as the defamatory statements. He is seeking general damages of ₦1,000,000,000 (One Billion Naira) for the alleged defamation, reputational damage, and emotional distress, as well as special damages of ₦5,000,000 (Five Million Naira) for legal and professional fees incurred in pursuing the case.
As of the time of this report, a date is yet to be fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Punch News
