The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and its staff member, Ismaila Chafe, challenging a N100 million defamation judgment in favour of Prophet Emmanuel Omale.
Omale, founder and General Overseer of Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry International, Abuja, had instituted a defamation suit against NAN and Chafe over a publication on the agency’s website alleging that former acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, used a pastor to launder proceeds of corruption abroad.
The disputed report was headlined, “How Magu used Pastor to launder looted funds abroad report.”
Omale maintained that the publication was false, defamatory and damaging to his reputation.
In a judgment delivered on December 8, 2022, Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court held that the publication was defamatory in its entirety and ordered NAN to pay the cleric N100 million in damages.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, NAN and Chafe approached the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the judgment and set aside the damages awarded by the lower court.
The appeal was registered as CA/ABJ/CV/535/23.
During proceedings, the appellants, through their counsel, T. D. Agbe, adopted their brief of argument and urged the appellate court to allow the appeal and nullify the lower court’s decision.
However, Omale, through his counsel, Barrister Okafor Kanayo, urged the court to dismiss the appeal and uphold the N100 million award.
The Court of Appeal subsequently reserved its judgment, with the date for its delivery not stated in the report.
