A Federal High Court, on Wednesday, admitted a criminal defamation suit filed by Former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili against the author of “Too Good to Die”, Chidi Odinkalu.
Recall that Odili had in the suit, filed at the Port Harcourt Division of the Court, demanded a published apology and N1 billion from Mr Odinkalu, for the way he was portrayed in his book, which he claimed earned him huge public ridicule and scorn.
Thewhistleng reports that the Judge granted an interim injunction against further publication and circulation of the book.
Recall also that in the defamation charges prepared for Mr Odili by Kanu Agabi, a senior lawyer, the former governor said he took note of excerpts of the book in which the authors narrated how late politician, Harry Marshall, was assassinated soon after they publicly fell out with each other in 2003.
The book cited a letter which Mr Marshall had written to the police in Rivers at the time, expressing strong concerns about a growing spate of intimidation and violent attacks against members of the All Nigeria’s Peoples Party (ANPP) in the state.
Mr Marshall said the attackers were loyalists of Mr Odili, and they had the support of the police (to) regularly unleash mayhem ahead of the 2003 elections.
