AN Abia State High Court sitting in Ohafia and
presided over by Justice Amanze Chikwendu Chioma has fixed
November 11, 2013, for hearing in the libel suit instituted
by the first son of Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, Engr. Chinedu Orji against the SUN Newspapers and Ebere Wabara.
The adjournment followed two motions filed by lawyer to the
Defendants, Mr. A. C. Arinze to the effect that the second
Defendant, Wabara was not served with the court processes.
Though lawyers to the claimant led by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN,
did not object the motions, he however told the court that
they were “calculated attempt by the defendants to stall
hearing in the matter.”
Uzoukwu complained that the motions which dated July 9th, 2014
and September 17th, respectively, were only served them
on September 29, an action he said was part of the effort to
frustrate the matter from proceeding.
But Arinze in his reply said that they did not have any plan
to stall proceedings of the matter and blamed the late
service on location of the claimant’s counsel which he
said was outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Before adjourning the matter, Justice Chioma told the
claimant’s lawyers to provide an address within
jurisdiction for easy service of processes to them.
Chinedu, an engineer, has in Suit No. HON/5/2014 dragged the
newspaper to court for allegedly calling him “a
terrorist” who was involved in “terrorist’s
activities” in one of its articles on its March 10th 2014
edition, saying that the meaning was that he is a law
breaker and a criminal.
In the suit the Claimant is therefore claiming the sum of N5
billion as damages for libel and an unreserved apology to be
published at least three editions of the newspaper.
He is also asking for an Order of perpetual injunction
restraining the defendants or their agents from further
writing or publishing the said libelous matter or similar
one against him.
