The court also ordered the newspaper to publish a retraction and apologise to Kuku over libelous publication against him on its tabloid
By Julius Alabi, Akure
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld the judgment of the FCT High Court as its awarded N10million damages against an Abuja based Newspaper, Abuja Inquirer and its publisher over defamatory and libelous publication against Dr. Kingsley Kuku, former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Amnesty.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had awarded the sum of N10 million as damages against the newspaper in a libel suit instituted by Kuku who was also the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
Aside the damages, the court presided by Justice Jude Okeke had also ordered the newspaper to publish a retraction and apologise to Kuku over libelous publication against him on its tabloid.
The newspaper had in its publication between July and August 2015 described Kuku as a fugitive who fled abroad after he had been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
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Having not satisfied with the judgment of Lower Court, the publisher of the newspaper went to Court of Appeal, prayed the appellate Court to upturn the judgment.
However, in a judgement delivered on Tuesday 14th June, 2022, the appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by the newspaper seeking to upturn the decision of the FCT High Court which awarded N10 million naira for it’s defamatory publication in August 2015 wherein they published that Hon Kingsley Kuku fled Nigeria after being declared wanted by the EFCC.
Reacting to the judgment, Counsel to Dr Kingsley Kuku, Solomon Tunyan hailed the Appellate Court decision and stated that the judgment will serve as a lesson to those who have chosen the path of making libelous publication against innocent people just to tarnish their hard earned reputation.
He maintained that Hon Kingsley Kuku is a man who brought so much peace and stability to the Niger Delta of this country thereby bringing peace to the region.
Apart from upholding the judgment, the Court of Appeal equally dismissed the appeal saying it lacks in merit and awarded fifty thousand naira cost against the appellant.
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