Abuja High Court Slams Enquirer 10M Damages Over Libellous Report On Kingsley Kuku

An Abuja high court presided over by Hon Justice Jude Okeke sitting at court no 15 Maitama on Thursday, November 1, 2017 slammed damages of 10M naira against a newspaper the Abuja Enquirer and its publishers for a publication it made against Hon Kingsley Kuku in August 2015 Which the court found to be defamatory, malicious and false.

In a considered judgment wherein d judge also awarded 50,000 naira cost against the newspaper, the court declared that the publication made by the newspaper on Hon Kuku to the effect that he was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and that he fled the country to avoid investigation and arrest was reckless and false.

The court ordered the newspaper to within 14 days publish a retraction of the libelous and injurious publication in two national newspapers.

Reacting to the judgment of the court, counsel to Hon Kingsley Kuku, Solomon Tunyan Esq hailed the decision of d court and described it as a clear vindication of Kuku who he described as a man of the people. Hon . Ebenezer Alabi, a close associate of Kingsley Kuku reacting to the judgement said ‘this will serve as a lesson to journalists who allow themselves to used by politicians. On 15 August, 2015, Hon. Kuku had approached an Abuja High Court asking for 500 million naira as damages against the newspaper, which published that Kuku was declared wanted by the antigraft agency EFFC for misappropriation during his tenure as Presidential Adviser.

Meanwhile, the judgement has been welcomed with wild jubilation and celebration amongst Kuku’s supporters especially in Ondo State and youths in the Niger Delta. One of the youths who identified himself as Wonyinkuro Ajama, said ‘Kuku has been vindicated. The media trial orchestrated by the incumbent administration to rubbish the good works of Kuku in the Niger Delta has been exposed by this judgement.’