Nollywood actress Halima Abubakar, has been ordered by a High Court sitting in Abuja to pay Apostle Johnson Suleiman of Omega Fire Ministries International, N10m in damages for making defamatory comments against him on social media.
The Court presided over by Justice Enobie Obanor also ordered that Miss Halima Abubakar retract all her defamatory posts on her Instagram handle @Halimabubakar. Justice Obanor ruled the actress tarnished the image of Apostle Suleiman.
Miss Halima Abubakar was not in court to defend herself in the suit marked: FCT/HC/CV/3413/2022, filed by Apostle Suleiman. He had demanded for the sum of N1 Billion as damages,and another N20m for legal expenses.
Justice Obanor, stated that Halima Abubakar was given ample time to defend herself, but failed to do so.
“This issue is therefore resolved in favour of the claimant. Accordingly, judgment is entered in favour of the claimant as follows,” Justice Obanor said in the judgment delivered on March 27 and certified on April 8.
“A declaration that the statements published by the defendant against the Claimant on her Instagram handle @halimabubakar, falsely and maliciously written and published to the general public, are defamatory of the person of the claimant.
“The sum of N10,000,000.00 only to the Claimant as aggravated and exemplary damages for libel contained in the publication of the defendant against the claimant on her Instagram handle @Halimabubakar and caused to be published in several blogs.
“An order of this Honourable Court compelling the defendant to pay for the deleting of all links and reportage of the said defamatory comments on all platforms on the internet,”
Halima Abubakar in a series of social media posts had accused Apostle Suleiman of sleeping with her severally and also using diabolical means in the process.
