Dollar Videos: Court Fines Ganduje N800k For Withdrawing Suit Against Ja’afar Ja’afar

A Kano State High Court on Tuesday fined Kano governor Abdullahi
Umar Ganduje N800,000 after he discontinued his defamation suit
against an online publication Daily Nigerian.

According to Dailytrust Ganduje had dragged the publisher
Ja’afar Ja’afar to court over a story and videos where he was
purportedly seen stuffing foreign currencies in his pocket.

The court presided over by Justice Suleiman Danmallan, who
granted the application to discontinued the case, however, directed
the governor to pay N400,000 each to Ja’afar and the parent company
of the newspaper, both defendants in the suit.

Counsels for both defendants, Ubi Eteng and Muhammad Danazumi
had both urged the court to award a total of N400million as the
cost of discontinuing the suit but Ganduje’s counsel, O.E.B.
Offiong (SAN) urged the court to disregard the prayers, noting that
since the defendants had informed the court they have filed a
counter-claim, issue of cost should be delayed till then.

In the counter-claim filed by Ja’afar, the publisher asked the
court to declare that the governor’s case was “vexatious, baseless,
gold-digging and of no substance whatsoever.”

He also seeks the declaration that “the deployment of thugs,
political stalwarts and primary school pupils by the plaintiff at
the grounds of the Kano State House of Assembly chanting slogans
and insults on the person of the defendant is unwarranted, uncalled
for, immoral and defamatory.”

He thereafter asked the court to direct the governor “to issue a
public apology to the 1st defendant in at least two national daily
newspapers for filing a baseless case against the 1st
defendant”

He also sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the
plaintiff either by himself, agents, representative, privies or any
person howsoever called from further filing any frivolous against
him (Ja’afar) on this subject matter.

The judge has, however, directed that a date would be fixed for
hearing of the counter-claim when the parties are ready.

A Kano State High Court on Tuesday fined Kano governor Abdullahi
Umar Ganduje N800,000 after he discontinued his defamation suit
against an online publication Daily Nigerian.

According to Dailytrust Ganduje had dragged the publisher
Ja’afar Ja’afar to court over a story and videos where he was
purportedly seen stuffing foreign currencies in his pocket.

The court presided over by Justice Suleiman Danmallan, who
granted the application to discontinued the case, however, directed
the governor to pay N400,000 each to Ja’afar and the parent company
of the newspaper, both defendants in the suit.

Counsels for both defendants, Ubi Eteng and Muhammad Danazumi
had both urged the court to award a total of N400million as the
cost of discontinuing the suit but Ganduje’s counsel, O.E.B.
Offiong (SAN) urged the court to disregard the prayers, noting that
since the defendants had informed the court they have filed a
counter-claim, issue of cost should be delayed till then.

In the counter-claim filed by Ja’afar, the publisher asked the
court to declare that the governor’s case was “vexatious, baseless,
gold-digging and of no substance whatsoever.”

He also seeks the declaration that “the deployment of thugs,
political stalwarts and primary school pupils by the plaintiff at
the grounds of the Kano State House of Assembly chanting slogans
and insults on the person of the defendant is unwarranted, uncalled
for, immoral and defamatory.”

He thereafter asked the court to direct the governor “to issue a
public apology to the 1st defendant in at least two national daily
newspapers for filing a baseless case against the 1st
defendant”

He also sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the
plaintiff either by himself, agents, representative, privies or any
person howsoever called from further filing any frivolous against
him (Ja’afar) on this subject matter.

The judge has, however, directed that a date would be fixed for
hearing of the counter-claim when the parties are ready.