Halima Abubakar, a well-known Nollywood actress, has been fined N10 million for making defamatory statements about Apostle Johnson Suleman, the Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered Abubakar to pay this amount to the cleric as compensation.
According to a certified true copy of the judgement, Apostle Suleman accused Abubakar of posting derogatory comments about him on her Instagram page, which were then picked up and published by various blogs and newspapers.
In delivering the judgement, Justice Enobie Obanor highlighted that Abubakar had been given the opportunity to defend herself in this matter, but failed to do so.
The judgement reads:
“The statements published by the defendant against the claimant on her Instagram handle, @halimabubakar, falsely and maliciously written and published to the general public, are defamatory of the person of the claimant.
“The sum of N10,000,000 only to the claimant as aggravated and exemplary damages for libel contained in the publication of the defendant against the claimant on her Instagram handle, @Halimabubakar and caused to be published in several blogs.”
