BY DOM ZIMEGAPI
No fewer than eight National Newspapers comprising of The Guardian Newspaper Nigeria, Leaders & Company Ltd publishers of ThisDay Newspaper, Vanguard Media Ltd, African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc publishers of The Tribune Newspapers, The Sun Publishing Ltd publishers of The Sun Newspapers, BusinessDay Media Ltd, Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Ltd, Rivers state Newspapers Corporation and Rivers state Government under the watch of Governor Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike, Attorney General of Rivers state and Independent national Electoral omission-INEC are now dragged before Justice O.O Femi-Adeniyi of Lagos state High Court in a suit no. LD/5396GCMW/18 filed by Akingbade Victor Fakorede the Rivers State Commander of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad-popularly called F-SARS.
One interesting development in the court case is the fact it concerns Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike a highly sensitive political office holder leading Rivers state Government in whose purview certain decisions were taken to publish libelous materials on the front cover of the afore-mentioned daily Newspapers for more than 3-weeks. Again to make the matter receive expeditious hearing and prosecution it is before High Court of Lagos state Court N0.40, commercial /Fast Track/Alternative Dispute Resolution –ADR Division. It was brought before the court in the Month of July, 2018 through his legal Counsel Alfred Akinjo of Ayodele Akintunde & Legal firm with Ayodele Akintunde SAN principal.
And www.towncrier.ng exclusively gathered from the Certified True Copy of Enrolment of Order after the Motion Exparte was brought before the court which stated thus “Upon This motion Exparte dated 9th day of July, 2018 coming up before the Honourable Court. Upon reading the Affidavit in support of one Akingbade Victor Fakorede, Male, Christian, Lawyer, and Police Officer of Block 2, Police Estate, Trans Amadi Street, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, sworn to and filed at the High Court Registry, Lagos on 09/07/2018. And after hearing Ayodele Akintunde SAN with A Akinyo, L. Ogedegbe(Ms.) and K. Oyebade (Ms.) for the Claimant in Support of the Motion exparte dated 09/07/2018.
It is hereby Ordered as Follows:-
The defendants whether by themselves, their directors, principal offices, commissioners, servants, agents, privies or otherwise howsoever be and are hereby restrained from further printing, circulating, distributing or otherwise publishing or causing to be further printed and published or circulated the words defamatory of the claimant/applicant contained in Exhibits “AF1”, “AF2”,” AF3”, “AF4”, “AF5” “AF6”, “AF6”, “AF7”, “AF8”, “AF9”,”AF10”,””AF11”,”AF12”, “13”, “AF16”,”AF17”, “AF18”, “AF19”, “AF20”, and “AF21”, or similar words to the same or similar effect.
Leave be and is hereby granted to the applicant to serve the concurrent writ of summons and all other processes in this suit on the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th defendants at their respective addresses for service in Rivers State and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja out of Lagos State; namely:
The 8th defendant (Rivers State Newspaper Corporation) at 4, Ikwerre Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
The 9th defendant (Attorney General of Rivers state) at Rivers State Ministry of Justice, State Secretariat Complex, Rivers State, Nigeria.
The 10th defendant Rivers State Government) c/o The attorney General of Rivers State Ministry of Justice, State Secretariat Complex, Rivers State, Nigeria.
The 11th defendant (Independent National Electoral Commission)) at Plot 436, Zambezi Crescent, Maitama District, Maitama , Abuja, Nigeria.”
With the Court Order obtained AP Akin Fakorede is set to set the records straight and clear on his exoneration from all allegations which made the rounds about the aftermath of the Rivers state parliamentary election rerun on December 10th 2016.