- Court Grants Leave for Substituted Service as Legal Proceedings Begin in May 2025
The Rivers State High Court has granted Prince Tonye T.J.T. Princewill permission to serve court documents through substituted means in an ongoing defamation and breach of contract lawsuit against Chinenye Agwumba, Kalabari TV, and two other parties.
The suit, initiated by Princewill through his legal representative, Professor Richard Wokocha, stems from allegations made during a televised broadcast on Kalabari TV and various social media posts. These allegations claim that Prince Tonye Princewill failed to fulfill a contractual obligation for the printing of burial brochures for his late father, King Prof. TJT Princewill.
According to Professor Wokocha, the contract was awarded and fully paid for by the King’s burial committee, clarifying that Prince Tonye was not in a position to oversee the project due to personal circumstances. “Mr. Agwumba did not deliver the printed materials on time and to specification,” Wokocha asserted. “Despite this, he proceeded to make baseless accusations against Tonye Princewill both online and through Kalabari TV.”
The court’s approval for substituted service comes after multiple unsuccessful attempts to serve court documents, attributed to alleged evasions by the respondents.
In a related update, the court dismissed a separate lawsuit filed by Agwumba against Princewill, deeming it procedurally flawed. The suit initiated by Princewill is set to return to court in May 2025.
A source familiar with the situation noted that although the legal proceedings may be prolonged, Prince Tonye remains resolute. “This lawsuit communicates a clear message that reputational harm and public misinformation will not be tolerated,” the source stated.
Additionally, it was disclosed that Kalabari TV’s media team had previously requested a significant fee to cover the King’s burial, a proposal which the burial committee ultimately rejected. Although Prince Tonye was not directly involved in this decision, he has become a target of the accusations.
Despite these challenges, the source indicated that Prince Tonye encouraged the burial committee to resolve the matter amicably, even facilitating the payment of an additional amount to the printer—an effort that went unacknowledged in the printer’s public disclosures.
“Prince Tonye firmly believes that public platforms should not be used to intimidate or defame individuals without valid grounds,” the source concluded.