Six years after, judgment has finally been delivered in a suit bordering on defamation of character instituted by Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna state against Union Newspapers, challenging the publication of a story it published on him, in July 2015, less than two months into his tenure as Governor.
Filed at the Kaduna High Court, the case which has been foot-dragging over the years, is now decided in favour of the Governor who was awarded N10m damages by the court.
In his reaction to the judgment, el-Rufai said that his “victory at the High Court is a clear statement that the freedom to publish is not a license to defame people or clothe rumour-mongering and malice as journalism”.
Reacting father, the governor noted that ‘’beyond the damages awarded and the apology ordered by the court, this judgment reaffirms the primacy of facts and appropriate verification in responsible journalism.’’
This is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye.
El-Rufai said that he will donate ‘’the N10m damages awarded by the court to the Kaduna State Disability Trust Fund.’’
The statement added that ‘’by approaching and personally testifying in the case, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has further demonstrated his belief in the rule of law, a stance he has taken in previous cases, securing apologies and retractions from other newspapers for libel.’’
The Governor he said thanked his team of lawyers, led by A.U. Mustapha (SAN), for their diligent pursuit of the matter.
The Special Adviser recalled that ‘’in July 2015, less than two months into his tenure as governor of Kaduna State, The Union newspaper published a false story on his asset declaration.
‘’The reporter who filed the story based his outlandish claims on nothing more than rumour and a sense of impunity, an expectation that victims of defamation would resort to negotiation with and reward those who seek to besmirch their reputation,’’ he added.
The statement recalled that El Rufai ‘’swiftly issued a statement to debunk the story the very day it was published and affirmed his intention to approach the court for
redress.
According to Adekeye, Justice M.L. Muhammed delivered judgment in the case on Monday, 1 November 2021, six years after the case was filed.
