VENO NEWS: Defamation: IBD Dende Slams FIJ, Arise TV, Soyombo N5b General Damages, N10m Cost of Filing Suit...Court Gives 30-day Ultimatum for Appearance Date: 08-05-24
By Felix Mordi
A High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has ordered the appearance of Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Arise (TV) Media Group and Fisayo Soyombo, within 30 days, as defendants in a lawsuit filed by an Ogun State-born Customs Licensed Agent, Chief Ibrahim Dende Egungbohun.
In the writ of summons number: G/2286/24, dated May 3, 2024, Chief Egungbohun, popularly known as IBD Dende, instituted the legal action against the trio for character assassination through numerous tweets on their “X†handles, and a broadcast on the Arise Television’s special programme tagged, “The Morning Showâ€, aired on February 24, 2024.
Egungbohun sought the order of the court for retraction of the libelous statements and tendering of public apology by each of the defendants, to be published by the 1st and 2nd Defendants on their "X" handles: @fisayosoyombo and @fijnigeria and on the 2nd defendant’s blog fij.ng, and to be published/broadcast by all the defendants in the 3rd defendant’s television programme “THE MORNING SHOWâ€.
He also prays the court to restrain the defendants from any further defamatory publications (including the use of innuendos) on their "X" handles, website, TV programmes or any other means of publication.
Chief Egungbohun has, however, slammed the defendants with the sum of ₦5,000,000,000.00 (Five Billion Naira) for general damages and another N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) for the cost of instituting (the) Suit.