A Makurdi
High Court presided over by the Hon. Justice Theresa Igoche on Friday granted
leave to the Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom, to serve the All
Progressives Congress (APC) and its National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole his
writ of summons in Suit no: MHC/280/2018.
Counsel to
Ortom, Mr Samuel Irabor, moved an ex-parte application seeking the leave of the
court to serve the defendants at Abuja outside the Benue State Judicial
Division.
The judge
found merit in the application and granted leave for the defendants to be
served at the APC National Secretariat, No. 40, Blantyre Street, Wuse II,
Abuja.
Once served
with the writ of summons, the defendants have 30 days to enter appearance and
file their defence.
Governor
Ortom, among other things, claimed that the defendants assassinated his
character and damaged his reputation when in an APC sponsored press conference
held on Friday, 27th July, 2018, Oshiomhole accused him of having a hand in the
death of 2 Catholic priests and their parishioners at Mbalom community on the
ground that one of the priests had preached a ‘very critical sermon’ against
him.
Ortom is
therefore seeking the following reliefs:
(a) A
DECLARATION by this Honourable Court that the Defendants’ allegations and
publication of 27/07/2018 against the Plaintiff are false, mischievous, unsubstantiated,
defamatory and libelous of the Plaintiff.
(b) AN ORDER
directing the Defendants to publish simultaneous retractions/apologies in
respect of the said defamatory and libelous publication against the Plaintiff
in the Sunday editions of 10 National Dailies circulating within Benue State as
well as paid advertorials to the same effect on the prime time beats of the
Nigerian Television Authority, Channels Tv, TVC News, African Independent
Television, Independent Television (ITV), Benin, Radio Nigeria, Radio Benue and
Harvest FM.
(c) COST of
the suit.
(d) AN ORDER
of the Honourable Court awarding the sum of #10,000,000,000.00K (Ten Billion
Naira) only as damages in favour of the Plaintiff and against the Defendants
jointly and severally for the defamation and libel of the Plaintiff’s character
and reputation by the Defendants.
(e) AN ORDER
OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Defendants, their officers, privies,
assigns, surrogates or agents howsoever called from further defaming and
libeling the Plaintiff’s character and reputation.
ANY OTHER
ORDER(S) that the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.
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