Court stops scheduled beauty pageant, orders status quo

A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday issued an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Africa Beauty Queen International Pageant scheduled to hold on March 30, at the Lagos Oriental Hotel.

Justice Hadiza Rabiu-Shagari, issued the orders, following an interlocutory application filed by Mr. Daniel Opuene, founder of ‘Beauty of Africa International Pageant’, seeking an order of restraint, on the said forthcoming pageant.

Joined as first to third defendants in the suit are: Roses and Rubbies International Ltd, Precious Ogarekpe, and Lagos Oriental Hotel Ltd.

Opuene had filed the suit through the law firm of Creative Legal, seeking an order, restraining the defendants, their agents or privies, from “staging any pageant on March 30, under the name of “Africa Beauty Queens International Pageant” or any other similar name, likely to suggest that the first and second defendant’s business is similar with the plaintiff’s. 

“Reproducing, publishing or distributing the pictures belonging to the plaintiff, in the said defendant’s beauty pageantry activities or any other business pending the final determination of the substantive suit.”

At the last adjourned date on March 22, the court had ordered the plaintiff to put the defendants on notice, while the court adjourned the suit for hearing of the motion on notice.

When the case was called yesterday, plaintiff’s counsel, Mr. Justin Ige, informed the court that the defendants had yet to respond to his application, in spite of having been served with the processes. He added that he had not received any processes from the defense.