Tag: Court

 Federal Capital Territory Chief Magistrate’s Court, Abuja, has dismissed a defamation suit filed against Nollywood actress, Elizabeth Anjorin (aka Lizzy Anjorin), for being incompetent and lacking merit.

In dismissing the suit, CR/25/2025, Chief Magistrate Sunday Adukwu awarded N50,000 costs against the complainant, Audullahi Mosadoluwa, wife of a Lagos-based property developer, Ibile.

The magistrate delivered the ruling, upholding a preliminary objection filed by Anjorin, which challenged the competence of the suit and the court’s jurisdiction to entertain it.

Mosadoluwa, had instituted the suit against Anjorin and Shakira Ayobami through her counsel, Yakubu Eleto.

The complainant accused Anjorin and Ayobami of criminal defamation, acts and conduct likely to breach public peace, tranquillity, order and decorum, and the publication of false, malicious and defamatory statements.

However, the defendants, through their counsel, A.U.E. Ogboi, filed a preliminary objection challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the complaint.

The objection was predicated on a single issue: whether, given the circumstances of the case, the court had the power to entertain the direct criminal complaint.

The complainant raised two issues, including whether the court lacked jurisdiction and whether the criminal summons was incompetent on the grounds that the complaint giving rise to it was defective.

She argued, among others, that the affidavit of urgency was not one of facts; that the application for leave to issue or serve outside jurisdiction was made under civil procedure rules; that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 makes no provision for counsel to serve summons; and that the summons is an abuse of court process.

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After citing legal authorities, the magistrate ruled in favour of Anjorin and dismissed the criminal complaint.

He held that the direct criminal complaint was “absolutely incompetent on many fronts’’, noting that Section 80(4) of ACJA, 2015 requires a complainant to file a single complaint at a time, whereas the complainant filed multiple offences in one complaint; criminal defamation, acts likely to breach public peace, and publication of false and defamatory statements.

The court further held that both the complainant and the defendants are residents of Lagos and not the FCT, thereby robbing the court of the requisite jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter.

According to the magistrate, the arguments of the complainant’s counsel could not withstand legal scrutiny and amounted to an abuse of court process marked by gross procedural irregularities.

“There are certain irregularities which a court may condone in the interest of substantial justice, but certainly not one with such a shaky foundation, irreconcilable loopholes and clear misunderstanding of the provisions of the ACJA as represented in this case,” the court held.

The magistrate struck out the direct criminal complaint for incompetence and irredeemable procedural defects, awarding N50,000 costs against the complainant.

The Borno State Government on Thursday swore in six newly appointed High Court Judges, as it reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the rule of law and accelerating reforms aimed at improving justice delivery in the state.

The swearing-in ceremony, held at the Acting Governor’s Conference Hall, Government House, Maiduguri, was presided over by the Acting Governor, Hon. (Dr) Umar Usman Kadafur, who described the exercise as a strategic institutional intervention to enhance efficiency, transparency, and public confidence in the judiciary.

Kadafur said the state had prioritised the modernisation of judicial processes through the adoption of digital platforms, including electronic filing, electronic case management systems, and access to digital legal resources, to reduce delays and eliminate administrative bottlenecks.

“Our vision is to build a judiciary that is responsive to contemporary realities and aligned with global best practices, where justice is dispensed fairly, promptly, and without undue hindrance,” the Acting Governor said.

He charged the newly sworn-in judges to uphold integrity, impartiality, and professionalism, while actively supporting the digitisation and modernisation agenda of the state judiciary.

In his remarks, the Chief Judge of Borno State, Justice Kashim Zannah, congratulated the new judges and urged them to see their appointments as a call to higher responsibility and service to society.

Justice Zannah emphasised that the judiciary remained the last hope of the common man, stressing that judges must dispense justice without fear or favour, affection or ill will.

He also called on the judges to embrace ongoing judicial reforms, particularly the deployment of digital tools, noting that technology had become indispensable in improving efficiency, transparency, and access to justice.

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The Chief Judge further assured the state government and the public of the judiciary’s commitment to upholding ethical standards, strengthening institutional discipline, and ensuring speedy dispensation of justice.

The Acting Governor assured that the state government would continue to provide the necessary infrastructure, training, and institutional support required to sustain judicial reforms.

The ceremony was attended by top government officials, senior judicial officers, and members of the legal profession

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama has scheduled March 3 for the arraignment of a lawyer, Victor Giwa, and two property developers – Cecil Osakwe and Ms. Edith Erhunmuuse – over alleged unlawful eviction and destruction of property worth N300million.

The court fixed the date on Tuesday when the arraignment, earlier planned for the day, could not go on owing to the absence of the judge, Justice Samira Bature, who is said to be unwell.

In the charge, marked FCT/HS/CR/222/2023, Giwa, Osakwe, and Ms. Erhunmuuse are, among others, accused of engaging in criminal conduct, including the forceful eviction of occupants and the destruction of property estimated at ₦300 million.

When the case last came up on November 4, 2025, Justice Bature observed that the case, which had previously been adjourned to enable the third defendant secure legal representation, suffered another delay owing to the absence of a party.

She recalled that the court had, at a previous sitting, warned that it would no longer tolerate delays capable of frustrating the arraignment of the defendants.

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Some counts in the charge read:

*That you Cecil Osakwe of 1473 Inner Blocks Street, Abuja, Victor Giwa of Sanja Plaza, Zone 5, Abuja (all male, adults) and Ms. Edith Erhunmwuuse (female, adult) of Garki Police Barracks, Abuja, sometimes in 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria did conspire and broke into the house of one Ms. Asabe Waziri, located at Mekong Street, Maitama, Abuja with the assistance of some police officers, now at large, without her knowledge or consent and you carted away her entire properties worth N300,000,000.00 (three hundred millions of naira) only including her international passport and cash. You thereby committed an offence contrary to section 96 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under section 97 of the same Law.

*That you Cecil Osakwe of 1473, Inner Blocks Street, Abuja, Victor Giwa, of Sanja Plaza, Zone 5, Abuja ail male, adult, sometimes in 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria did conspire and agreed to take the law into your hands by unlawfully breaking into the house of one Ms. Asabe Waziri with the assistance of some police officers, now at large, without an enforcement order of the relevant court and you destroyed her door and other properties worth N300,000,000.00 (three hundred millions of maira) only. You thereby committed an offence contrary to 326 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under 327 of the same law.

*That you Ms. Edith Erhunmwuuse female, adult of Garki Police Station, Abuja,  sometimes in 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria, without lawful orders did conspire and assisted one Mr. Cecil Osakwe of 1473, Inner Blocks Street, Abuja and Victor Giwa, of Sanja Plaza, Zone 5, Abuja (all male, adult) in breaking into the house of one Ms. Asabe Waziri with the assistance of some other police officers, now at large, when you provided the container used to convey Ms. Asabe Waziri’s entire properties worth N300m only, including her international passport and cash to an unknown location. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 326 of the Penal Code law and punishable under Section 327 of the same law.

Delta State High Court in Bomadi has awarded N30 million in damages against International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) and one of its reporters, Isaac Markson, for a defamatory publication against a former Director-General of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi.

Justice S.O. Adolor held that the story: “The hidden truth that led to the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama community,” published on April 13, 2024, was malicious.

He ordered the defendants to retract the publication and issue a public apology in three national newspapers as well as on ICIR website, while restraining them from making further defamatory statements against the claimant.

Akpobolokemi sued over the report, which linked him to deployment of soldiers to Okuama and suggested that he used his influence to skew military intervention in favour of his community, Okoloba.

He claimed the publication implied that his alleged role contributed to the tragic killing of 17 soldiers in the community.

Aggrieved by what he described as a baseless and damaging report, Akpobolokemi insisted that the allegations were false and portrayed him as complicit in a national tragedy, thereby gravely injuring his reputation.

He maintained that he was neither arrested, investigated, nor prosecuted in connection with the Okuama incident and that the publication had no factual or judicial foundation.

The defendants challenged the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that the alleged libel was an online publication and that the claimant failed to establish that it was published to third parties in Delta State.

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They contended that the court lacked territorial jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

Justice Adolor, however, dismissed the objection, holding that online publications are deemed published in any place where they are accessed and read.

The court relied on the uncontroverted evidence of two witnesses, who testified that they accessed, downloaded and read the publication in Bomadi, Delta State, and that their perception of the claimant was negatively affected by the report.

The court held that this sufficiently established publication in Delta State and conferred jurisdiction on the court.

On the substantive case, the court found that the publication directly referred to Akpobolokemi and portrayed him as an influential figure, who allegedly orchestrated or influenced deployment of soldiers to Okuama, with grave implications linking him to the killing of 17 soldiers.

Justice Adolor held that the report went beyond fair reportage and crossed into defamatory imputation by presenting unproven allegations as facts.

The court noted the defendants failed to establish the truth of the allegations in the publication.

It held that the claimant was never shown to have played any role in the incident and that the defendants could not rely on unnamed or untendered probe reports to justify their claims.

According to the court, imputing criminal complicity to a person in the absence of any arrest, prosecution, or conviction amounted to defamation.

The defendants’ reliance on justification, fair comment, qualified privilege and responsible journalism was rejected by the court.

Justice Adolor held that the defence of justification collapsed because the defendants failed to prove the truth of the allegations, while fair comment was unavailable since the underlying facts were not shown to be true.

The court further held that the defence of qualified privilege could not avail the defendants in the face of evidence pointing to malice, particularly their failure to verify serious allegations before publication.

The court also found that malice could be inferred from circumstances of the case, stressing that responsible journalism demands accuracy, especially when reporting on issues capable of destroying reputation.

It held the defendants acted recklessly by publishing grave allegations without proper verification or evidential support.

While declining the claimant’s request for fees on the grounds that litigation costs cannot be transferred to opposing party without proof, the court granted substantial reliefs in his favour.

In addition to N30 million damages awarded jointly and severally against the defendants, the court ordered the retraction of the publication and a public apology to be issued within seven days in three national newspapers and on ICIR website.

It restrained the defendants from further publishing defamatory statements against the claimant, with post-judgment interest to accrue at prevailing CBN rate until the judgment sum is fully liquidated.

The judge added Akpobolokemi successfully proved his case on the balance of probabilities, while defendants failed to justify or excuse their publication.

The court said the law does not grant immunity to online publications and that journalists and media houses are bound by rules of accuracy, fairness and responsibility in reporting.

The claimant was represented by Eric K. Omare, alongside Oke Joseph Enewovwa and Regina Aghogho Okulonye, while the defendants were absent when judgment was delivered on January 26, 2026.