N1bn libel suit: Lagos court refuses Obanikoro’s request to restrain some Media outlets

N1bn libel suit: Lagos court refuses Obanikoro’s request to restrain some Media outlets

An Ikeja High Court has refused former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro's request for an order of injunction against some media publications to stop them from publishing news about him and retract all previous damaging news publications via a letter of apology through their various media platforms.

Obanikoro had filed a suit after the defendants (Premium Times, Punch newspapers and Sahara Reporters) allegedly published an audio of how he with others allegedly plotted to rig the the Ekiti governorship polls.

He claimed that these organisations had shared damaging material which made him to suffer various political and personal losses.

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, in her ruling, described Obanikoro’s application as lacking in merit and stated that an injunction was inappropriate as the application had no merit.  

According to her, 'It is an error to seek to restrain a publisher of an article on the grounds of libel if there is no proof before the court that such material is libelous'

Source: Vanguard