Court sets Dec 12 for hearing of Matawalle, others
The Kano State High Court sitting in Bichi has set December 12, 2024 for hearing of a case between the Minister of Defence (State) Honorable Bello Mattawalle and two prominent Northern Journalists, Shuaibu Mungadi and Tijjani Ramalan.
In a move perceived to restrict media freedom, Matawalle has filed a defamation lawsuit against the journalists, for alleged defamation, malicious reporting and seeking damages of N10 billion from each.
The case, marked K/M2102/2024 and presided over by Justice Musa Ahmad of Kano State High Court, Bichi Division, involves not only Mungadi and Ramalan but also their employer, Vision Media Services Ltd, as well as Vision FM, Farin Wata Television, and Liberty Radio and TV.
The Minister is also asking for N10 billion compensation as general damages from each of the other four defendants in addition to 10 per cent post-judgment interest of the entire judgment sum until fully liquidated.
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In the motion on notice filed by Umar Said of Umar and Umar chambers, the Minister of State is praying for “an order of interlocutory injunction restraining all the defendants, their officers, staff, agents, servants and employees from making further instigation, insinuation airing, broadcasting, posting, uploading, transmitting, televising in whatever form any issue concerning, relating or regarding the plaintiff ad his office as per the facts of this suit, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
Further, in an affidavit in support of the motion for interlocutory injunction sworn to by Alhaji Masudu Abdulkadir, the personal assistant to the Minister, the plaintiff averred as follows:
”That the plaintiff/applicant was the chief security officer and the executive governor of Zamfara State for four years and that during his tenure in office as the executive governor as well as chief security officer of the state, he tried and strived vigorously to tackle insecurity in all its ramification in the state.
”That from January 2024, the 3rd to 6th defendants in their respective stations, channels, pages, handles, YouTube and programmes chaired/anchored by the 1st and 2nd Defendants started televising, airing, broadcasting, posting, spreading false, libelous, injurious and defamatory statements, utterances, assertions and allegations against the person, character and reputation of the Plaintiff, presenting and painting him as sponsor of bandits and banditry as well as kidnappers and kidnapping in the North West states of Nigeria, Zamfara State inclusive.
“ That the said stations, channels, pages, handles, Youtube and programmes of the 3rd to 6th Defendants anchored/chaired by the 1st and 2nd Defendants cut across the said North West states and are being tuned, listened and viewed by the innocent good populous people of those states, including Kano State as well as the entire world in respect of the online stations, channels and pages of the Defendants.”
While undertaking that the plaintiff will pay damages in the event that the substantive suit turns out to be frivolous, the deponent contended that “unless restrained pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit, the Defendants will continue injuring and assassinating the character and reputation of the plaintiff.”
Also, in a concurrent writ summons, the plaintiff’s counsel prayed the court for “a declaration that the allegations, statements, utterances and assertions made by the defendants repeatedly against the plaintiff at their various programmes and posting from from January 2024 to date, aired, televised, posted and broadcast by them at their respective stations, channels, handles and YouTubes as per the facts of this suit constitute defamation of the plaintiff and his person, character and reputation.
Other reliefs among others sought by the Plaintiff include, “An order of perpetual injunction, restraining the defendants, their agents, assigns or proxies among others in whatever name or description acting on their behalf, instruction or instance from further defaming the person of the Plaintiff and his reputation.
“An order of the court directing the defendants to tender type-written apology to the plaintiff for the said defamation of his person, character and reputation and same apology shall bear and contain a retraction of the said defamatory statements, utterances, allegations, posting and assertions against the Plaintiff and shall be published conspicuously part of two newspapers (local and nationwide).”
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