An Ilorin High Court has slammed N4 billion on the publisher of popular online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, over stories published in 2015 against Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
According to the judgement delivered by Justice Adeyinka Oyinloye, Wednesday, the stories were published against Saraki between September and December of 2015.
Recall that the Senate President had, through his lawyer, Babatunde Olomu, asked for the intervention of the court following the publication of series of libelous stories against him by the medium and both Sowore and Sahara Reporters were joined as defendants in the suit marked as KWS/23/2017.
While delivering the judgment, the court agreed with Olomou and granted all the reliefs sought by the claimant in the case.
It was gathered that the reliefs were granted as follows: “The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for libellous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of Sahara Reporters of October 5, 2015 under the caption “Nigeria at 55: Bukola Saraki and 83 Inmates Are Running the Asylum”.
“The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for libellous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of Sahara Reporters of Sahara Reporters of September 20, 2015 under the caption: “A polished Name for political immorality: Time for Saraki to Go!”
“The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for libellous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of Sahara Reporters of Sahara Reporters of November 09, 2015 under the caption: “Bukola Saraki On a shopping Spree to Buy Judges…Stop Being a Clown And A Coward Man Up, face The Music.”
“The sum of N1 billion as general and aggravated damages for libellous words falsely, maliciously and recklessly published by the defendants of and concerning the claimant in the online issue of Sahara Reporters of Sahara Reporters of December 1, 2015 under the caption: “Arms Contract Scandal: Senator Saraki.”