A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has awarded the sum of N10 million as damages against an Abuja based newspaper, Abuja Enquirer, in a libel suit instituted by the former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Amnesty, Mr Kingsley Kuku.
Aside the damages, the court presided by Justice Jude Okeke also ordered the newspaper to publish a retraction and apologise to Kuku over libelous publication against him on its tabloid.
The newspaper had in its publication between July and August 2015 described Kuku as a fugitive who fled abroad after he had been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
The former adviser on Amnesty, headed to court through his counsel, Mr Solomon Tuyan, seeking retraction of the publication and payment of damages for the libelous publication.
Kuku prayer the court to award against the newspaper a N500 million damages, for publishing that Kuku was declared, wanted by the EFFC for misappropriation during his tenure as Presidential Adviser.
However, the newspaper through its counsel B.E Effiong said the publication was done in public interest and that it was in line of its duty to inform the public.
But two years after the filing of the suit and calling of witnesses including officials of the anti-graft agency, the court asked the newspaper to withdraw the publication.
Justice Okeke in his verdict declaredd that “the publication in pages 1 and 3 of your July 27 to August 2 edition of the Abuja Enquirer volume 11 caption Kingsley Kuku flees Nigeria written of and concerning the plaintiff is libelous and defamatory.”
Also, the court ordered the defendant “to render an unreserved apology to the plaintiff, retract the defamatory publication contained in pages 1 and 3 of your July 27 to August 2 edition of the Abuja Enquirer volume 11 where he described the former Amnesty Boss as fugitive.”
The newspaper was ordered to publish a retraction of the libelous and injurious publication in two other national newspaper court within 14 days
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the plaintiff, Tunyan hailed the decision of the court and described it as a clear vindication of Kuku who he described as a man of the people.
Similarly former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Mr Ebenezer Alabi, said ‘the judgment would serve as a lesson to journalists who allow themselves to be used by politicians to write sensational news or reports from the pit of hell’
Meanwhile, the judgment has been welcomed with wild jubilation and celebration amongst Kuku’s supporters especially in the riverine areas of the state.