Justice Enobie Obanor of the FCT High Court has ordered popular Nollywood actress, Halima Abubakar to pay N10 million fine for defaming the Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman.
The court also restrained her from further publishing defamatory statements against the cleric.
Justice Obanor gave the order on Monday while ruling on a defamation suit instituted by the cleric against the actress.
Taking to Instagram, Abubakar claimed that she was in a sexual relationship with Suleman, who is married, and even got pregnant for him three times.
She described the cleric as “dangerous and a hazard to society”.
Suleman denied the allegations, which were published by many newspapers and blogs, and threatened to drag her to court for defamation.
According to a Certified True Copy of the judgment dated April 8, 2024, Justice Obanor noted that Abubakar was allowed to defend herself in the matter but failed to do so.
“This issue is therefore resolved in favour of the claimant. Accordingly, judgment is entered in favour of the claimant as follows:
“A declaration that 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 N10,000,000.00 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,” the judge ruled.
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