27th February 2025, NewsOrient, Law And Society

The libel suit between Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and Hon Toby Chuks at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has been fixed for hearing on 27th March 2025.

Governor Otti has approached the court praying for remedy following a scandalous news; ‘What Alex Otti Cannot Destroy Does Not Exist, authored and published by Hon Toby Chuks.

As NewsOrient reported earlier, the Court Bailiffs had experienced prolonged difficulties in locating the Defendant for the purpose of serving him court processes personally, so the Plaintiff, through his lawyer, Dr Sonny Ajala SAN, prayed the honourable court to grant his request for substituted service.

This prayer was granted by Justice A O Ebong.

Now, NewsOrient reports that sequel to the Order of Justice Ebong, authorizing service by substitute means, as stated in the Order of the court, the Defendant has been served with the Writ of Summons, etc.

The matter is coming up for hearing on March 17, 2025.

In the suit, “the Claimant claims against the Defendant as follows:

“A DECLARATION that the Claimant has suffered loss of reputation, respect, goodwill, standing as a political leader and damage owing to the Defendants false and malicious defamatory online news captioned; What Alex Otti Cannot Destroy Does Not Exist: Vol. 1 published on 8th December, 2024 against the Claimant on the Defendants Facebook Wall, Hon. Toby Chuks with 6K (six thousand) followers.

“AN ORDER of the Honorable Court restraining the Defendant from further writing and/or syndicating the writing by the Defendants agents and privies of any disparaging materials against the Claimant for publication and circulation on the Defendants Facebook Wall, Hon. Toby Chuks with 6K (six thousand) followers.

“AN ORDER of the Honorable Court directing the Defendant to pay the Claimant, General Damages of N50,000,000,000.00 (Fifty Billion Naira) only for the loss of reputation, ruptured profile as a financial expert, erosion of goodwill, fractured political leadership standing, diminished public estimation, psychological and emotional trauma suffered by the Claimant owing to the falsehood and malicious defamatory online news captioned; What Alex Otti Cannot Destroy Does Not Exist: Vol. 1 published on 8th December, 2024 against the Claimant on the Defendants Facebook Wall, Hon. Toby Chuks with 6K (six thousand) followers.

“AN ORDER of the Honorable Court directing the Defendant to tender unreserved apology to the Claimant to be published on the Defendants Facebook Wall Hon. Toby Chuks and in four National Newspapers, specifically the Thisday Newspaper, the national Ambassador Newspaper, the Punch Newspaper and the Nation Newspaper.

“N150,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Million) being the cost of prosecuting this suit.

This writ was issued by Dr. Sonny Ajala, SAN, Legal Practitioner whose address for service is Deeplaw Associates, Plot 188, Durumi District, Abuja Counsel for the said Claimant of Plot 188, Durumi District, Abuja Abuja FCT.”

~ NewsOrient

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