A local firm, Marketing Edge Publications Limited has filed a N20 million libel suit against the president of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, Idorenyen Enang before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja.
The plaintiff filed the suit before Justice Taiwo Olatokun who ordered the claimant to serve the respondent the court processes, following an application moved by his counsel, Felix Akinisola.
The judge’s order followed the absence of the first and second respondents in court. While moving his ex parte application, Akinsiola prayed to the court for an order for substituted service on the 2nd respondent by pasting it on the wall of the office and front desk in his office.
He argued that such service would be sufficient to bring notice of the suit to the attention of the 2nd respondent, who is the president of the institute.
Akinisola, who told the court that his application is supported by a 10-paragraph affidavit, noted that the 2nd respondent’s only known address is the 1st defendant (office address). His application was granted by Justice Olatokun before she adjourned the case to October 8, 2024 for a report of service.
The claimant in the suit marked ID/10977GCMN/2024, is praying the court for, among other damages, the sum of N20 million being damages for assault on its reputation, a reduction in the esteem of right-thinking members of the society and damaging utterances by the defendant against the claimant.
It is also asking for a retraction in its entirety of the public notice made by the Institute of Marketing of Nigeria in a national newspaper on November 24, 2023.
