An Ibadan High Court Judge , Justice Bolaji Yussuf, on Thursday granted leave to a constitutional lawyer, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to serve a former Ekiti State governor, Chief Segun Oni; the Acting Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Osun State chapter, Chief Sunday Ojo-Williams, and Western Publishing Company Limited, publishers of Nigeria Compass with the writ of summons in a N5bn libel suit against them.
He was asked to serve the first defendant in Lagos State; the second defendant in Osun State and the third in Ogun State.
Justice Yussuf granted the application after it was moved by the lawyer to the claimant, Mr. Seun Ajayi.
According to the writ of summons, Fagbemi is claiming damages for alleged defamation and libel published by the defendants concerning him in the Compass Newspaper of February 22, 2011 edition.
The publication had accused him of alleged involvement in underhand dealings through telephone contacts with the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, during which the plans to fraudulently pervert the course of justice in the Ekiti and Osun governorship election petitions appeals in which judgments were delivered in October and November 2010 respectively, were hatched.
The story was titled “Salami, Tinubu’s men named in Appeal Court Phone Scandal; PDP, Oni submit call logs to NJC. Appeal Court President: I’m not bothered.”
In the suit, Fagbemi is claiming N1bn against Oni as general damages and N1bn against Sunday Ojo-Williams as general damages while also claiming N3bn against the Western Publishing Company.
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Libel: Court grants Fagbemi leave to serve Oni, others