…….. claims 30 Billion naira damages
By Lucky Isibor
A suspended member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Emmankhu Isibor Addeh has dragged the speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, seven media houses to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Abuja for libel and the alleged broadcast of the said libel by Hon. Blessing Sheriff Agbebaku.
In the suit No. FCT/HC/CV/2856/2024, Blessing Sheriff Agbebaku, Punch Nigeria Limited ,Arise Global Media Limited ,Cable Media & Publishing Ltd, Polance Media Limited, Daar Commutations PLC, I. B. W. Enterprises Nig Ltd and Channels Media Ltd are named the 1st to 8th Defendants respectively.
According to the writ of summons, signed by Nnaemeka Okeke (Esq) and dated the 19th day of June, 2024; Hon. Emmankhu Isibor Addeh avowed that, “The Claimant, a legal practitioner and a devout Christian from a devout Christian family, claims against the Defendants, jointly and severally, in libel for the broadcast the Ist Defendant made on the 6th of May 2024, during the plenary of the Edo State House of Assembly, and the re-broadcast and publication by the 2nd to 8th Defendants on print, electronic, and online media on the 7th of May 2024 and other various dates.
“The said Defendants broadcast the said false and libelous statement wherein they said that the Claimant with two other persons brought a herbalist into this House of Assembly premises to plant some charms in the Edo State House of Assembly compound by 1A.M in the morning.
“The said libelous statement was published in the said House of Assembly of Edo State and equally published to the whole digital world, including the Federal Capital Territory, by the news media available in Nigeria, whose duty is to report parliamentary proceedings in the Edo State House of Assembly.
” The 1st Defendant’s broadcast and the re-broadcast and publications by the 2nd to 8th Defendants have damaged the severally the reputation of the Claimant in the eyes of his learned colleagues, his co-parishioners, church members, clientele, his constituents, etc.”
The Claimant in the suit, Hon. Emmankhu Isibor Addeh who is a current member representing Esan North -East 1 Constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is claiming from the Defendants, ” An Order mandating the 1st Defendant to immediately publish in five print media and five Online media of 1st Defendant’s retraction of the defamatory statement together with an unqualified apology.
“An Order mandating the 2nd-8th Defendants to immediately publish a retraction of the said defamatory publications and broadcasts in their respective media.
” Damages of N3, 000,000,000 (Three Billion Naira) against the Defendants, jointly and severally.
“N50, 000,000 being the cost of this suit and 10% interest on the damages from the date of judgement until judgement debt is fully paid”.
No date has been fixed for hearing.