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Tag: Sahara Reporters

  • MFM drags Sahara Reporters, publisher to US court

    The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) and its General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, have dragged online publication Sahara Reporters and its publisher, Mr. Omoyele Sowore to a court in the United States of America (US) for alleged defamation and ancilliary torts.

    The plaintiffs approached the United States District Court for the District of Maryland to demand sanctions against the online publication and its proprietor for defaming them in several online publications.

    The suit bearing Case No. 8:18-cv-02922, which will be heard by Judge Theodore D. Chuang, has Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya; Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Inc., a Nevada Corporation (MFM Nevada), and Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Bowie, Maryland, a Maryland Corporation (MFM Bowie) as plaintiffs.

    In the complaint and demand for jury trial commencing the case, the plaintiff’s lawyers emphasised that the action arose from the defendants’ unrelenting campaign to defame Olukoya and MFM, saying that the defendants’ alleged malice stemmed from a disagreement between MFM and Sahara Reporters dating back to January, 2013.

    Recalling a publication by Sahara Reporters on September 27, 2017 entitled Former Mountain of Fire Miracles Ministries Pastors Accuse General Overseer Olukoya of Illegal Importation of Goods in US Property Dispute, the plaintiffs’ lawyers recalled that the matter was dragged to the court during which witnesses for MFM disproved allegations of tax evasion, but Sahara Reporters again failed to report on the fact that the tax evasion issues had been rebuffed.

    In a 49-paragraph complaint, the plaintiffs stated their three causes of action as defamation, defamation per se and false light.

    They therefore demanded:

    .An award against all defendants to compensate for all economic damages sustained as a result of their tortious conduct.

    .An award against all defendants to compensate for all presumed and actual reputational damage.

    .An award against all defendants to compensate for all presumed an actual damages resulting from mental anguish and emotional distress.

    .An award against all defendants of punitive damages; Attorney’s fees and costs;

    Injunctive relief, including but not limited to the removal of the false and defamatory materials from any website over which defendants have control.

    .Any and all other relief that the Court deems just and proper.

    The case is expected to be a Jury trial as demanded by the Plaintiffs.

  • Libel: MFM sues Sowore, Sahara Reporters

    The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) has filed a suit against Sahara Reporters, an online media platform, its publisher Omoyele Sowore and Sahara Reporters Media Foundation over a series of alleged false, malicious and defamatory publications against the church and its General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya.

    In the suit No HU/250/2018 pending before the High Court of Akwa Ibom State, Uyo Judicial Division, the claimants are demanding N10bn as damages and retraction of the publications.

    The retraction, according to the church, should be a written apology in Sahara Reporters online platform, three nationally circulating newspapers and two internationally circulating magazines, one of which must be the TIME International.

    The MFM also requested the court to direct Sahara Reporters to pull down and erase from the world-wide-web each of the offending stories published between 2013 and June 30th, 2018.

    In addition, the claimants demanded perpetual injunction restraining the “defendants by themselves, their agents, servants, privies or other persons howsoever called or described from further publishing and disseminating libelous stories and statements against the Claimants or any of them.”

    The Counsel, Barr. Ime Asanga said the church was constrained to take legal action following the intransigence of Omoleye Soleye and his co-defendants in refusing to desist from publishing false and malicious articles against the MFM over the stated period.

    Asanga also disclosed that the defendants turned down the opportunity for a peaceful resolution when they failed to take advantage of a seven-day window offered them to retract the offending publications.

  • Sahara Reporters v Saraki: Court declines contempt hearing

    Sahara Reporters v Saraki: Court declines contempt hearing

    An Ilorin, Kwara state High Court Thursday declined to entertain application filed by Senate President Bukola Saraki against the Publisher of online newspapers, Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore.

    The judge, Justice Sikiru Oyinloye therefore referred the application to the Chief Registrar of the state Ministry of Justice for re-assignment.

    The same court had in May this year awarded N4 billion against Mr. Sowore for defaming the character of Senator Saraki.

    But, Mr. Sowore (defendant) approached the court praying for stay of execution of the judgement.

    While, the case subsists in court, Senator Saraki through his lawyer, Babatunde Olomu accused the Sahara Reporters publisher of scandalous publications against the court.

    In a motion of notice dated September 11th, 2017, Mr Olomu sought for “an order for Omoyele (2nd respondent) to appear in court in person and show cause why he should not be committed for contempt of court in respect of publications made scandalizing this court; an order refusing audience to the defendant/respondent in respect of their pending applications before the court until they purge themselves of the said contempt.”

    Saraki counsel based his application on “the provision of order 47 of the Kwara state High Court (civil procedure) rules 2005, empowers this court to punish a person for contempt of court by an order for committal; the 2nd defendant had published on several platforms on the World Wide Web, contemptuous and derogatory remarks of this honourable court and the person of the presiding judge, calculated to scandalize the court.”

    In his ruling, Justice Oyinloye said “I do not want to be a judge in my own court. I hereby direct counsel to Senator Saraki to redirect the contempt application to the registry for reassignment.”
    In his oral application after the ruling, Olomu urged the court to give his application over and above the remaining applications of the defendants.

    He prayed the court to “stay further proceedings on other applications pending the outcome of the reassignment of the contempt application by the registry.

    Counsel to Sowore, Stanley Imhauaor said the oral application was strange and improper, saying it was an indirect way of arguing the application just referred to the registry for reassignment.

    Said he: “The oral application is an attempt to ambush the decision of the application referred to the registry; his application is not proper. This is a very serious application with very serious business.

    This court ought not to have entertained this oral application. “Courts are enjoined not to speculate on issues that are not before them. Contempt is quasi criminal in nature. We urge you to discountenance the application.”

    In his ruling, Justice Oyinloye said that “I cannot entertain any further proceedings on this matter until the application for contempt of court I referred to the registry is resolve.

    “I therefore fixed 24th of November, 2017 for report on the progress made. I also direct the registrar of this court to make sure the application is expeditiously attended to in the next two Weeks at the registry.”

  • Army accuses Online medium of mischief, misinformation

    The 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin has accused Sahara Reporters, an online news medium of mischief and misinformation over its report on the arrest of a suspected kidnapper, Sunday Okoro.

    Okoro, also known as `G1′ was arrested by troops of the 19 Battalion in Sapele, Delta.

    The Army said in a statement that Sahara Reporters lied in its report of a gun duel during the arrest of Okoro and two others, Ifeanyi Aghanenu and Dafe Akporisi.

    The statement signed by Capt. Mohammed Maidawa and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Benin, also denied that the suspects were handed over to the 4 Brigade.

    It also dismissed the Sahara Reporters claim that the Speaker of Delta Assembly, Mr Monday Igbuya pressurised the Army to release the suspects.

    “We wish to inform the public that the suspects were never handed to 4 Brigade.

    “Therefore the allegations that the Speaker of the Delta Assembly, Mr Monday Igbuya or anyone mounting pressure on the 4 Brigade Commander for their release does not arise.

    “It is the figment of the imagination of the faceless Sahara Reporters writer.

    “The Nigerian Army is replete with highly professional, loyal and dedicated officers that perform their duties diligently with great sense of responsibility.

    “It is therefore preposterous for anyone to allege anything untoward in the handling of the accused or the recovered abandoned vehicles and weapons.

    “All were properly handed over to the Delta Police Command through appropriate channels for further investigation and prosecution.”

    It called on the medium to always cross check its facts before rushing to publish, so as to reflect the true account of events.

     

  • Alleged forgery: Melaye slams N5b suit against Sahara Reporters

    The Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Daniel Melaye, on Thursday instituted N5 billion libel suit against the Sahara Reporters.

    The sponsors of the media platform were also included in the suit.

    Melaye claimed that the Sahara Reporters maligned his reputation with allegations of forgery of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria degree certificate.

    He filed the suit at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court Abuja.

    The Senator is demanding the N5 billion as compensation for damages done to his reputation by the alleged libelous publication of the Sahara Reporters.

    In the suit filed by his lawyer, Mr. Marx Ikongbeh, Melaye who is chairman Senate Committee on the FCT is demanding for another sum of N10 million as cost for the court action.

    The plaintiff claimed that he has been exposed to ridicule, odium and his reputation brought down in the eyes of the people by the alleged libelous publication of the online media outfit that he did not graduate from ABU.

    He prayed for an order of the Abuja High Court restraining the media outfit, its agents, servants and privies from further publishing the word being complained against.

    Defendants in the suit are – The Incorporated Trustees of Sahara Reporters Media Foundation, Omoyele Sowore, Temitope Olumuyide and Sahara Reporters Media Group Incorporation as first, second, third and fourth defendants respectively.

    In the statement of claim, the plaintiff claimed that he is a highly visible politician known in Nigeria and globally and ranks high among well-known public office holders currently in Nigeria having served in several capacities especially as a member of the lower and upper chambers of the National Assembly.

     

  • NASS presiding officers got no accommodation money from FCTA – Dogara

    NASS presiding officers got no accommodation money from FCTA – Dogara

    Presiding Officers of the National Assembly did not receive any money for accommodation from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has said.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser Media & Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, reacting to an online publication on the issue, Dogara said the story should be discountenanced unless evidence was produced.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a story published by an online media platform, Sahara Reporters, where it was alleged, without any shred of evidence as always that presiding officers of the National Assembly including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, collected money from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for rent of their official residences.

    “The report, which was credited to a group known as Citizen Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), deliberately set out to misrepresent and distort facts with the aim of blackmailing the persons of the presiding officers and the Legislature as an institution.

    “Presiding officers of the National Assembly are entitled to official accommodation which is provided for by the FCDA as host of the National Assembly. The same is applicable to the President, Vice President and the Chief Justice of Nigeria because their offices were not covered by the monetisation policy. Consequently, no National Assembly presiding officer receives any money from any other source for accommodation or rent.

    “The FCDA is solely responsible for providing official accommodation for presiding officers of the National Assembly and how it goes about it is entirely its business and not that of any presiding officer. It’s callous, wicked and evil for any news medium to seek to perpetuate the mendacity that National Assembly Presiding officers collected money from FCDA without any form of evidence whatsoever.

    “The public should discountenance the story in its entirety unless of course the so called Sahara Reporters put out evidence of the trace of any such funds to the Presiding officers.

    “We challenge those undertakers and merchants of lies for filthy lucre to tell the Public which countries of the world allow presiding officers of their Parliament to live in their personal houses.

    “Certain officers of state were excluded from monetisation policy because of the nature of offices they hold that involves hosting certain level of official guests and other sundry activities.  Should Nigeria’s case be different?”

  • Okorocha slams PDP over comments on Imo Airline

    Okorocha slams PDP over comments on Imo Airline

    Imo State Government on Friday slammed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and an online news publishers, Sahara reporters for criticizing the newly commissioned State Airline, Imo Air.

    The PDP has described the inauguration of the Airline as part of the State Governor’s 2019 Presidential ambition.

    But the government in a statement signed by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary,  Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, dismissed the PDP as a “dead party.”

    According to the statement, “we also take the floor to tell our audience that as we write, there is nothing like Imo PDP either in the eyes of the law or otherwise. So, any claim purportedly by Imo PDP is fraudulent and should be disregarded by men and women of goodwill”.

    The statement continued that, “the attention of the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and indeed, the Rescue Mission Government in the State has been drawn to some negative claims in the media purportedly by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the State and the “Sahara Reporters” against the inauguration of Imo Air, which, its maiden flight was celebrated by Imo people at the Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

    “In the purported report, Imo PDP was quoted to have said through its Secretary, Nze Ray Emeana that the Governor acquired the aircraft for his 2019 Presidential election bid, and then queried the rationale behind the Imo Air Venture when pensioners and workers in the State were owed arrears of Salaries and Pensions.

    “For the suspicious claims credited to “Sahara Reporters” with regard to Imo Air we do not also believe that such poorly scripted blackmail could come from an organisation like that. No reputable media outfit could come up with such Caption like “Read, Read and Read, Imo is a fraud” and without a byline. And they never quoted any verifiable source to back up their Claims. It was totally a frivolous story. They did the same thing in their unfortunate claim that the Governor had died following a slap by a female ghost few months ago. They also said the death claim was an outcome of the investigation by “Sahara Reporters.” So, the Management of Sahara Reporters should take steps to evade invasions by some spiritually weak folks whose stock in trade is blackmail.

    “We also take the floor to tell our audience that as we write, there is nothing like Imo PDP either in the eyes of the law or otherwise. So, any Claim purportedly by Imo PDP is fraudulent and should be disregarded by men and women of goodwill.

    “At the moment, there are five factions of the Party in the State with each one having full-blown State – Exco and apex leader and they have been in Court for the Court to decide which of the factions should rightly Claim to be Imo PDP and until the Court makes pronouncement on that, it becomes an absurdity for anybody to be making fictitious media Claims in the name of Imo PDP”.

    It continued that, “And for the avoidance of doubt, one of the factions has Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie as Chairman and Chief Hope Uzodinma as what they normally call apex leader. Another faction has Barr. Charles Ezekwem as Chairman with Chief Emeka Ihedioha as the apex leader. The third faction has Chief Greg Owuamanam as Chairman with Dr. Alex Obi as apex leader. The fourth faction has Chief Chuks Ajaelu as Chairman, while the fifth faction has Chief Hillary Udumukwu as State Chairman and they have their respective offices.

    “Hence, any Criticism against Governor Okorocha or his government in the name of Imo PDP should not be seen as coming from Imo PDP but from some selfish Politicians whose only interest is to govern the State even when they lack the capacity to do so.

    “In his speech at the Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport to inaugurate the Imo Air maiden flight, the Governor said that the State is not affected by the much-talked about recession in the Country and also made valid Claims that the State has cleared arrears of Pension upto December 2016 and has equally paid Salaries upto December 2016. And anybody genuinely keen in knowing the truth should have Challenged the governor to show proof of the Claims. That is the kind of Challenge we expect and not cock and bull stories.

    “And we want to reiterate that the Rescue Mission Government in the State which Governor Okorocha superintends has cleared arrears of Pension upto December 2016 and paid Salaries upto December 2016. Let anybody in doubt openly Challenge us to show evidence. That is the way to go.

    “Let us also state this, for the sake of emphasis. Those who want to be governor in the State do not see anything good in whatever Rochas Okorocha does in the State no matter how lofty such achievement could be. And the issue of Imo Air won’t be an exception. When we came up with free education they never believed in it. Today, the fruits of that programme have made them dumb. On the massive rural and urban roads Constructions, they said they were China roads, Imo people asked them why they could not even give them Gambian roads for the twelve years they held sway.

    “On the urban renewal programme that has massively transformed Owerri, they said the governor was pulling down houses. We Challenged them to give the locations of the affected houses, they could not including the fence of Captain Iheanacho’s Compound. And during the last Christmas, Imo people especially those who came for the Christmas brought more than four hundred cows to thank the governor for his vision and passion for the State. And those opposed to the urban renewal can’t openly do so again in the State.

    “We, therefore, Challenge those Claiming to be Imo PDP to publish the achievements of the Party for the 12 years it governed the State and let Governor Okorocha publish his achievements for the five years he has governed Imo for Nigerians to see. The truth is that the 12 years PDP governed the State could only be described as the years of the locusts or vampires. And they have no moral right to disturb someone who has shown leadership per excellence.

    “On the Imo Air, we only expect lovers of good tidings to join Imo people in celebration and not enemies of progress.”

  • Sahara Reporters’ publisher arrested for alleged blackmail

    The Police have arrested the publisher of online news agency Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, following a complaint of criminal defamation and blackmail made against him by a United Kingdom-based journalist, Lekan Fatodu.

    The Nation learnt that Sowore was picked up yesterday morning at his house in Lagos by policemen from Area ‘F’ in Ikeja, after Fatodu notified them of the Sahara Reporters’ boss’ presence in the state.

    In a Twitter message he posted at 8:03am yesterday, Fatodu uploaded a picture of Sowore surrounded by six men including two police officers alongside the statement: “I just got Sowore Omoyele of Sahara Reporters arrested for criminal defamation and blackmail and threat to my life and career.”

    Sowore, who confirmed the arrest in a Facebook video post on his wall at 6:27pm yesterday, said it was ‘planned’ against him by both Fatodu and the police.

    He also alleged that he was assaulted at the police station by Fatodu, thought to be the publisher of Checkout International Magazine.

    He said: “I was physically attacked today by a gang led by Lekan Fatodu. This part of a video of him assaulting me before police officers at Area “F” in Ikeja in Lagos.”

    In another Facebook post 22 minutes later, he said: “After the police ‘intervened’ soon as I was attacked by Lekan Fatodu and his friends in Lagos, we were taken to the Commissioner of Police’s office in Lagos. Turns out he was in on this; he pulled out a supposed petition written by Lekan from his hat. After that he became very hostile towards me and ordered that we be driven to State CID, at Panti in Lagos. It is very obvious that this was planned between Lekan Fatodu and the police. They offered him unbridled support as he continued attacking me in the presence of the police. I could have been I am familiar with this style of the Nigerian police. We are now being driven to Panti in Yaba area of Lagos.

  • Ekiti guber polls: Obanikoro unable to stop Sahara Reporter, Punch, others

    Ekiti guber polls: Obanikoro unable to stop Sahara Reporter, Punch, others

    A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Friday declined  the request of former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro for an order of injunction against online news publication, Sahara Reporters, The Punch Newspapers, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Mr Omoyele Sowore and Premium Times.
    Ruling on an application filed by Obanikoro on the matter, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye held that Obanikoro’s application for injunction was lacking in merit.
    It will be recalled that Obanikoro had on February 5, 2015 filed an application for an interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants from publishing harmful materials against him pending the determination of the substantive suit.
    The suit was filed following the publication of an audio recording which purportedly revealed how the former Defence Minister with other individuals plotted the rigging of the 2014 Ekiti gubernatorial elections.
    In his application, Obanikoro had claimed that the defendants had published very damaging material which made him suffer various political, personal and personal losses.
    The Senator had also requested for an order of court compelling the defendants to retract all the damaging news publications via a letter of apology on their various news outlets. 
    But the trial judge, Justice Ipaye in her ruling yesterday declined the prayers of the former minister.
    She said: “there is nothing before the court that shows the applicant will suffer more harm if the injunction is not granted.
    “It is an error to seek to restrain a publisher of an article on the grounds of libel if there is no proof before the court that such material is libelous.
    “I am persuaded that this application has no merit and an injunction is not appropriate in the circumstance.” 
    At yesterday’s proceedings, Obanikoro was represented by Mr Chukwudi Enebeli while Punch Newspapers Limited was represented by Mrs O.H Nurudeen.
    Sahara Reporters, Premium Times and Sowore have not made an appearance in court since trial commenced in the suit. 
    Ipaye ordered the suit adjourned pending when the defendants will file their replies to Obanikoro’s application.