Kano State governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has applied to withdraw the case he filed against journalist and publisher of Daily Nigerian (an online news medium), Mallam Jaafar Jaafar.https://scudnewsng.com
It will be recalled that Ganduje dragged Jaafar to court in 2018 over a story Daily Nigerian published titled: “EXCLUSIVE: NIGERIAN GOVERNOR CAUGHT ON VIDEO RECEIVING $5M BRIBES,” and other follow-up stories in the same website which the governor said are defamatory against him.
However, Governor Ganduje, therefore, asked the court to declare that “the act of publishing and circulating libellous statements, false video clips on online media, attacking and impugning the character and integrity of the Plaintiff amounts to defamation of character of the Plaintiff by the Defendants.”
It will also be recalled that the Publisher of Daily Nigerian, Jaafar Jaafar has relocated to the United Kingdom over alleged several threats to his life.
Before he left for the UK, Malam Jafar Jafar said Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, should be held responsible if anything happens to him for publishing videos of the governor allegedly stuffing dollars in his pockets.
However, in an interview with BBC Hausa on Friday, March 19, Ganduje, said they were making plans to deal with those who released the videos.
But in the face of the renewed threats, the journalist wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, through his counsel, Barrister Abdullahi Gumel.
The Governor then sought a perpetual injunction “restraining the Defendants from further publishing and sharing the said defamatory statement on any media howsoever described.”
However, in an application to the Kano State High Court dated the 28th day of June 2021, Ganduje’s lawyers, led by Chief E.O.B Offiong, SAN, and sought the following orders from the court: An order granting leave to the Plaintiff/Applicant to discontinue his claims in suit No K/519/2018 against the defendant before this honourable court.
“An order discontinuing Plaintiff/Applicant’s claims in suit No K/519/2018 against the defendant in this honourable court and for such further or other order(s) as this may deem fit to make in the circumstance of this case.”
The application was supported by a 4-paragraph affidavit deposed to by C. N. Obile, Esq. who said in paragraph 3 (c) and (d) that “the matter is yet to proceed to trial and the Plaintiff/Applicant now intends to discontinue this action before this honourable court.
“That by the rules of this honourable court, where a defendant has filed and a plaintiff wishes to discontinue his action, leave of court is required to discontinue, hence this application.”
However, the case has been slated to be mentioned on the 6th of July 2021.
