A 30-year-old woman, Paula Lawrence, has dragged Special Assistant on Media to Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, Anietie Ekong, before a Federal High Court, alleging sexual harassment.
Lawrence is seeking N100 million as damages for the emotional, psychological, reputational pain and torture she had been caused as a result of the harassment.
In suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/121/2016, she accused Ekong of having canal knowledge of her without her consent.
Lawrence, through her counsel, Oseini Bamigbaiye, is seeking the order of the court restraining Ekong from further harassing, threatening and invading her privacy and an order compelling him to tender an unreserved and written apology on all the social media platforms through which he defamed her.
According to Lawrence, a graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Uyo, Ekong drugged her, had sex with her and took her nude pictures and then circulated them on social media after she met him in a hotel in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
According to the affidavit in support of the suit, the plaintiff met with Ekong sometimes in 2014 during the commissioning of the international stadium in Uyo and they exchanged numbers.
According to her, they both met at a hotel in Uyo, where her nude picture was taken and circulated on social media after abusing her sexually.
She alleged: “That in the room, he brought out the bottle of red wine from the luggage in his wardrobe. At that time, I was pressed and had to use the toilet. Before I came back, he had poured the wine in the glass.
“I drank from my glass of wine, while he drank from his. When I wanted to drink from his glass of wine, he refused me, saying I should drink from mine. Shortly after drinking I started feeling dizzy and drunk. He made love to me and I slept off till the morning. I did not know that while I was drunk, he took nude picture of me with his cell phone camera.”
The case has been fixed for Wednesday, April 13.
Ekong has been media aide to Akpabio since the latter was governor of Akwa Ibom State.
In August last year, he denied reports that his principal turned the Government House, Uyo to a sex den during his tenure.
