Court fines Sahara Reporters N4bn for Saraki libel

An Ilorin High Court, presided over by Justice Adeyinka
Oyinloye, has ruled that the publisher of online newspaper, Sahara
Reporters, Mr Omoyele Sowore, should pay a sum of N4 billion as
damage to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, over a series of
libelous stories published last year by the medium.

According to the judgment passed on Wednesday, the ruling
affected stories published by the online medium against Saraki
between September and December 2015.

The Senate President had, through his lawyer, Babatunde Olomu,
asked for the intervention of the court following the publication
of series of libelous stories against him by Sahara Reporters. Both
Sowore and Sahara Reporters were joined as defendants in the suit
marked as KWS/23/2017.

Speaking with the our reporter in Ilorin on Thursday, Olomu said
that the defendants had refused to defend the case despite the
service of the summons on them.

He said the first series of service involved an arrangement
between the office of the Nigerian ministry of Justice and their
counterpart in New York, the operational base of the medium. When
that failed, the counsel said the claimant thereafter seized the
opportunities of a visit to Nigeria by Sowore to serve him at his
two properties in Ikeja area of Lagos state.

Delivering the judgment, the court agreed with Olomou and
granted all the reliefs sought by the claimant in the case.

The reliefs granted are as follows: “the sum of N1 billion as
general and aggravated damages for libelous words falsely,
maliciously and recklessly published by the defendants of and
concerning the claimant in the online issue of Sahara Reporters of
October 5, 2015 under the caption “Nigeria at 55: Bukola Saraki and
83 Inmates Are Running the Asylum”

“The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for
libelous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the
defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of
Sahara Reporters of Sahara Reporters of September 20, 2015 under
the caption: “A polished Name for political immorality. Time for
Saraki to Go!”

“The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for
libelous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the
defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of
Sahara Reporters of Sahara Reporters of November 09, 2015 under the
caption: “Bukola Saraki On a shopping Spree to Buy Judges…Stop
Being a Clown And A Coward Man Up, face The Music”

“The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for
libelous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the
defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of
Sahara Reporters of Sahara Reporters of December 1, 2015 under the
caption: “Arms Contract Scandal: Senator Saraki Blackmailed CBN
Officials To Pay N250 Million Hush Funds.”

“An order for injunction restraining the defendants from further
writing, printing or causing to be written, printed or circulated
or otherwise published of the claimant the said, or similar
libel.

“An order directing the defendants to remove the offending
publications from its website on the internet within three days
from the date of judgment and an order directing the defendants to
publish an apology to the claimant on its online newspaper and in
three other daily newspapers.”

An Ilorin High Court, presided over by Justice Adeyinka
Oyinloye, has ruled that the publisher of online newspaper, Sahara
Reporters, Mr Omoyele Sowore, should pay a sum of N4 billion as
damage to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, over a series of
libelous stories published last year by the medium.

According to the judgment passed on Wednesday, the ruling
affected stories published by the online medium against Saraki
between September and December 2015.

The Senate President had, through his lawyer, Babatunde Olomu,
asked for the intervention of the court following the publication
of series of libelous stories against him by Sahara Reporters. Both
Sowore and Sahara Reporters were joined as defendants in the suit
marked as KWS/23/2017.

Speaking with the our reporter in Ilorin on Thursday, Olomu said
that the defendants had refused to defend the case despite the
service of the summons on them.

He said the first series of service involved an arrangement
between the office of the Nigerian ministry of Justice and their
counterpart in New York, the operational base of the medium. When
that failed, the counsel said the claimant thereafter seized the
opportunities of a visit to Nigeria by Sowore to serve him at his
two properties in Ikeja area of Lagos state.

Delivering the judgment, the court agreed with Olomou and
granted all the reliefs sought by the claimant in the case.

The reliefs granted are as follows: “the sum of N1 billion as
general and aggravated damages for libelous words falsely,
maliciously and recklessly published by the defendants of and
concerning the claimant in the online issue of Sahara Reporters of
October 5, 2015 under the caption “Nigeria at 55: Bukola Saraki and
83 Inmates Are Running the Asylum”

“The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for
libelous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the
defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of
Sahara Reporters of Sahara Reporters of September 20, 2015 under
the caption: “A polished Name for political immorality. Time for
Saraki to Go!”

“The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for
libelous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the
defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of
Sahara Reporters of Sahara Reporters of November 09, 2015 under the
caption: “Bukola Saraki On a shopping Spree to Buy Judges…Stop
Being a Clown And A Coward Man Up, face The Music”

“The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for
libelous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the
defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of
Sahara Reporters of Sahara Reporters of December 1, 2015 under the
caption: “Arms Contract Scandal: Senator Saraki Blackmailed CBN
Officials To Pay N250 Million Hush Funds.”

“An order for injunction restraining the defendants from further
writing, printing or causing to be written, printed or circulated
or otherwise published of the claimant the said, or similar
libel.

“An order directing the defendants to remove the offending
publications from its website on the internet within three days
from the date of judgment and an order directing the defendants to
publish an apology to the claimant on its online newspaper and in
three other daily newspapers.”