A Makurdi High Court has fixed December 21, 2021 to deliver ruling on the application filed by the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, George Akume, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the N60 billion libel suit instituted against him by the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom.
When the case resumed Friday, Haruna Adokele, who held the brief of Akume’s lead counsel, S. I. Ameh, held that the court has no jurisdiction to hear the matter because service was not effected on the defendant.
He also submitted that Akume does not reside in Benue State but Abuja.
Counsel to Governor Ortom, Okon Efut, SAN, argued that service was effected on Senator Akume as required by law.
He held that the application filed by Akume is misconceived as service was effected within the jurisdiction of the court.
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Okon urged the court to dismiss the application with cost as the application is a strategy to delay the course of justice.
After listening to the arguments of both counsels, the trial judge, Justice Augustine Ityonyiman, adjourned the matter to December 21, 2021, for ruling on the application.
Recall that Governor Ortom instituted the suit against the Minister over his comments in the press conference of Monday, August 30, 2021.
Governor Ortom in the suit is seeking N50 billion as general damages for libel and N10 billion as exemplary and aggravated damages.
In the statement of claim, Governor Ortom seeks amongst other things a declaration that “the text of Senator Akume’s press conference on August 30, 2021, in Abuja and the reports in various national dailies is scandalous, malicious and injurious to his person.”
