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Court orders actress to pay N10m for defaming Apostle Suleiman
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has ordered a Nollywood actress, Halima Abubakar, to pay the sum of N10million to the founder of Omega Fire Ministries International, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, for publishing defamatory posts against him on social media.
The court, in the judgment that was delivered by Justice Enobie Obanor, held that the sum would serve as aggravated and general damages for actions the actress took to tarnish the image of the cleric.
Besides, the court, equally ordered the actress to retract all the defamatory posts she made against the cleric, via her Instagram handle, identified as @Halimabubakar.
The judgment followed a defamation suit marked: FCT/HC/CV/3413/2022, which Apostle Suleiman filed before the court.
The cleric told the court that the actress made several libellous statements against him on her Instagram page, which were subsequently published by many blogs and mainstream media outlets.
He told the court that the defendant had among other things, labelled him as a womaniser and a highly diabolic man that took advantage of women.
The cleric cited some of the derogatory posts that were made against him by the defendant, to include: “Shan, you said you don’t think I am smart? lol, ask Sule. At your big age am glad Gistlover sent that list. Thank you gistlover for calling me out. I for dey lie and lie for Sule? Never. God bless you gistlover. But your list is small for real. Johnson try me.
“Supporting you on your lies won’t work again. Anyone who involves his/her self will be tagged a bloodsucker. All of you supporting nonsense. No be Sule again, why do they bleed? They know the truth.
“Johnson Suleman wake up and untie her!! you must untie her. You owe her two kids you evil man… Not even how is your health for 4 years… my sister must survive O!
“PIs, don’t worry about me. But you can hold Johnson Suleman responsible just in case you can’t do anything though. Nigerians be aware, if anything happens Johnson it’s you.
“You told her to wait for you to find out why! Knowing well what you did. Giving you space is not possible. How many women have you done this to? you said it yourself that you can’t solve it! why can’t you solve it? Then you disappeared. Not a word since! With all the calls, Texts, etc. Sule, she believed you. Nigerians this man is dangerous and a hazard to society from ppl like this.”
He told the court that all the allegations were not only false but maliciously published yo sent his reputation in the eyes of the public.
Specifically, Apostle Suleiman demanded the sum of N1billion as damages, as well as another N20m to cover the cost of the litigation.
Meanwhile, though the actress was served with the court processes, she was not represented in the matter by any counsel.
Consequently, Justice Obanor, in the judgment he delivered on March 27 and certified on April 8, held that the defendant waived his right to defend herself in the matter since she was given ample opportunity to do so.
He, therefore, entered judgement against the Claimant.
“This issue is therefore resolved in favour of the claimant. Accordingly, judgment is entered in favour of the claimant as follows:
“A declaration that the statements published by the defendant against the Claimant on her Instagram handle @halimabubakar, falsely and maliciously written and published to the general public, are defamatory of the person of the claimant.
“The sum of N10,000,000.00 only to the Claimant as aggravated and exemplary damages for libel contained in the publication of the defendant against the claimant on her Instagram handle @Halimabubakar and caused to be published in several blogs.
“An order of this Honourable Court compelling the defendant to pay for the deleting of all links and reportage of the said defamatory comments on all platforms on the internet,” Justice Obano held. (Vanguard)
News
8 soldiers sentenced to death for desertion
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty against 11 soldiers on trial in the same case, but the Goma court acquitted three of them, ruling that the charges against those soldiers were “not established”.
The troops were fighting against the mostly Tutsi M23 (March 23 movement) rebels, who took up arms again in late 2021, seizing large swathes of North Kivu province.
“They never fled from the enemy nor abandoned their position — on the contrary,” said Alexis Olenga, a lawyer for one of the five officers facing charges.
Olenga said the soldiers were based at Lushangi-Cafe, a federal army position close to the strategic town of Sake, 20 kilometres (12 miles) down the road from North Kivu’s capital Goma.
These were the first capital punishment sentences since authorities decided on March 13 to lift a suspension on executions that had been enforced since 2003.
The failure of the army and its auxiliaries to halt the advance of the M23 rebels has raised suspicion that the security forces had been infiltrated.
Several military personnel as well as members of parliament, senators and business leaders have been arrested and accused of “complicity with the enemy”.
For the last 20 years, death sentences have been handed down in the DRC, especially in cases involving the military or armed groups, but have systematically been commuted to life in prison.
Human rights groups and the Catholic Church have called on the government to abolish capital punishment for any crime. (AFP)
News
Police arrest prophet for rape, abduction in Enugu
The suspected whose church in located in Amorji-Nike, Enugu East Local Government Area was also accused of unlawfullly being in possession of a pump action gun, another locally made gun and two live ammunition.
According the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, the suspect was arrested on May 1, 2024 by men of the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad following the receipt of a report.
He was alleged that the prophet abducted, physically assaulted and had carnal knowledge of the female victim under the pretense of curing her of spiritual problems.
He said: “A preliminary investigation reveals that the suspect, an acclaimed prophet and owner of a church (names withheld), in the course of providing the said spiritual service, kept the victim beyond the number of days he promised her parents.
“He thereafter compelled them to sell their plot of land to pay him for services rendered. Meanwhile, a search executed in his premises led to the recovery of one pump action, one locally-made gun and two live cartridges. Further discreet investigation is ongoing.” (Daily Sun)
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Tenant remanded in prison for setting his landlord’s house on fire
An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan on Thursday ordered that a 35-year-old man, Dickson Peter, be remanded in a correction facility for allegedly setting his landlord’s house on fire.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police charged the defendant with two counts of felony and arson.
The Magistrate, Mr M. Mudashiru, who did not take his plea due to lack of jurisdiction, ordered that he be remanded in the Abolongo Correctional Facility, Oyo Town.
Mudashiru said the remand is pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
He adjourned the matter until July 23, 2024, for reference.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Insp. Femi Oluwadare told the court that Peter, on April 18, at about 12:30 am, was alleged to have unlawfully set fire to the house of his landlord, Cepas Okeme, and destroyed properties worth N6.5 million.
Oluwadare said that after he set the building on fire, it also spread to the next house property belonging to Bose Ali ‘F’ and destroyed property worth N3.5 million.
He said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 443 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.
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