20th November 2024, NewsOrient, News,

From Our Law And Society Desk

In a libel suit filed by Governor Alexander Otti of Abia State against a blogger, Sir Don Ubani, in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the court has granted the Claimant’s plea to serve the Defendant, Sir Ubani, who is the Publisher of equityreporters.ng, through his advertised email address, sirdonubani@gmail.com and any or all of his social media addresses.

The court, before His Lordship, Hon Justice Njideka K. Nwosu-Iheme, also adjourned the matter to 21st day of January 2025 for hearing.

The court orders followed inability of court officials to locate Sir Ubani in any physical address for personal service of the necessary court processes.

Following the development, the Claimant, Governor Otti, through his lawyer, Dr Sonny Ajala SAN, filed an Exparte Motion pleading the honourable court “to grant order for substituted service through the defendant’s freely advertised online addresses, to wit; email, WhatsApp platform, Facebook Wall and Blog.”

Granting the pleas, the learned judge ruled: “The motion is granted for substituted service to be effected via email and WhatsApp number as provided on the body of the motion paper.”

Recall that NewsOrient had, in an earlier publication this year, reported that the Claimant, in the originating process, 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 publication captioned; Governor Alexander Otti Of Abia State Should Be Clapped For. Thursday (Nkwo) 26-09-2024 against the Claimant on 26/9/2024 on the Defendants Facebook Wall with 6.3K (six thousand three hundred) followership and further re-published on the Defendants Blog known as ‘equityreporters.ng on 26/9/2024.

“AN ORDER of the Honorable Court restraining the Defendant from further writing and/or syndicating the writing by the Defendants agents and privies of disparaging materials against the Claimant for publication and circulation on the Defendants Facebook Wall and the Defendants Blog known as ‘equityreporters.ng.

“AN ORDER of the Honorable Court directing the Defendant to pay the Claimant, General Damages of N5,000,000,000.00 (Five Billion Naira) only for the loss of reputation, tattered character, 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 cocktail of falsehood and malicious defamatory online news publication captioned; Governor Alexander Otti Of Abia State Should Be Clapped For. Thursday (Nkwo) 26-09-2024 against the Claimant on 26/9/2024 on the Defendants Facebook Wall with 6.3K followership and further re-published on the Defendants Blog known as ‘equityreporters.ng on 26/9/2024.

“AN ORDER of the Honorable Court directing the Defendant to tender unreserved apology to the Claimant by the Defendant to be published on the Defendants Facebook Wall and the Defendants Blog, ‘equityreporters.ng and in four National Newspapers the said retraction to be further published in four national dailies, 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.”

~ NewsOrient

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