Tina Amanda
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has awarded the sum of two hundred and fifty Million Naira as damages in favour of former Governor of the state, Dr Peter Odili, against the former head of National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu and one Aisha Osori.
The Court also awarded the sum of three hundred thousand Naira as cost of court process against Professor Chidi Odinkalu and Osori.
Justice Chuku in her Judgement agreed that Professor Odinkalu published a libellous, malicious and defamatory book against the former Rivers State Governor.
The Judge also restrained the defendants from further publication of the book and ordered that they should retract the publication in two national dailies.
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Justice Chuku described the publication as distasteful and described it as something done with malicious intent, stressing that the defendants even abandoned the case and failed to bring further evidence to prove their defence.
Speaking to our correspondent, Tina Amanda, Counsel to the Plaintiff, Ifedayo Adedikpe, expressed happiness that the judgment has proven that the publication was libelous and damaged the image of his client.
According to him, the Defendants failed to lead evidence in the matter, stressing that the pleading were considered as abandoned by the court because in law if one pleads and does not lead evidence, it will be struck out.
Counsel to the defendants were not in court during the judgment.
Recall that Sir Dr Peter Odili had instituted a suit against Professor Chidi Odinkalu and Publisher of a book in Lagos on the 31st of October 2018.
Odili accused the defendants of damaging his image through a false and malicious publications contained in his book, titled, “Too Good to Die”, a Publication which he said was untrue and placed him in bad light and lowered his image.
