Court restrains Edo from publishing libellous reports against Okunbo

The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has granted an injunction restraining the Attorney-General of Edo State from making further defamatory publications against business mogul, Captain ldahosa Okunbo.

Justice S. B. Belgore issued the order in a libel suit filed against the Attorney-General of Edo State and an aide to the state governor, Crusoe Osagie.

The disputed publication, which informed the libel suit was titled, ‘Okunbo, Oshiomhole making plans to disrupt Edo governorship elections’.

The judge granted the injunction following an ex parte application moved by Okunbo’s lawyer, Dr Adedapo Olanipekun (SAN), on Monday, August 10, 2020.

In a copy of the enrolled order seen by our correspondent on Tuesday, the court made, among others, “an order restraining the Edo State Government, whether acting through the 1st  defendant and or the 2nd defendant, its agents, representatives, officers, servants, proxies, assigns, trustees or any other person howsoever described, acting directly or indirectly for the Edo State Government, from publishing, causing to be published, circulating, further publishing, reporting or publicising the publication captioned: ‘Okunbo, Oshiomhole making plans to disrupt Edo governorship election’, and or any other related defamatory publication by any means whatsoever, including publications by/on print, electronic and social media platforms.”

Osagie, as the Special Adviser, Media and Communication Strategy to Governor Godwin Obaseki, was said to have signed the alleged defamatory publication.

Okunbo also sought a declaration that the defendants’ publications of July 20, 2020, which appeared on pages 26 and 53 of The Punch and ThisDay newspapers, respectively, were false, fabricated, misleading, malicious, unfair and defamatory.

He also sought an order compelling the defendants to wholly retract or withdraw the alleged defamatory publications.

He sought the sum of N4bn, “being aggravated and exemplary damages for the embarrassment, inconvenience, losses and damages done to the claimant’s person,” (with) cost of legal “representation/action assessed at N50,000,000.”

Justice Belgore adjourned the suit till August 18.