•Fixes hearing for March 25, 26
•CSOs urge investigation of minister, others
A high Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Gwarinpa, yesterday, ordered the service of a N40 billion defamation suit on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, by substituted means.
Justice A. M. Hassan, who issued the order while ruling in an exparte application, specifically ordered that the applicant paste the writ of summons, statement of claim, hearing notice and the entire court documents on the headquarters of the FCT in Garki, Abuja.
At yesterday’s proceedings, the applicant’s lawyer, Mr Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), narrated the inability to serve the suit on the defendant, and prayed that the court permit the plaintiff to serve the court’s documents through substituted service.
Having granted the request, Justice Hassan fixed March 25 and 26, 2026, for hearing in the suit number CV/4502/25.
The plaintiff, a former candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 governorship election in Rivers State, Mr Tonye Patrick Cole, had dragged the FCT Minister and Channels Incorporated Limited to court over alleged defamation.
Cole is seeking N40 billion in damages over alleged defamatory statements made by Wike during a live broadcast on Channels TV’s “Politics Today” on September 18.
According to the writ of summons and the attached statement of claim, Cole alleged that Wike’s statements during a live broadcast by the station on September 18 were false, malicious, offensive, and damaging to his reputation in personal, professional, and public capacities.
Court documents indicate that Wike referred to Cole in a manner suggesting financial impropriety and mismanagement of state resources, including allegations related to Rivers State gas and the Olympia Hotel.
Cole’s legal team, led by J.S. Okutepa, argued that the statements are defamatory, as they impute dishonesty and wrongdoing, gravely injuring his client’s standing both nationally and internationally.
The claimant is seeking N40 billion for alleged damages resulting from what he described as a “malicious, reckless, and unfounded defamatory broadcast and publications,” which caused him injury, humiliation, mental anguish, and reputational harm.
Cole is also seeking N500 million for the cost of the legal action, as well as several injunctive and declaratory reliefs. These include a declaration that the statements were false and defamatory, an order directing the defendants to retract the claims and remove all copies from all platforms, and a public apology broadcast on Channels TV and published in at least five national newspapers.
The claimant also seeks a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further publishing or disseminating defamatory material related to him.
Cole’s legal team said a pre-action notice and letter of demand dated October 8 were served on both Mr Wike and Channels Television, but the defendants failed to comply, prompting the initiation of court proceedings.
The court has directed the defendants to enter an appearance within 21 days of service of the writ.
However, civil society organisations (CSOs) have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate Wike’s assets and lifestyle, as well as other political office holders whose wealth and property appear inconsistent with their declared assets and legitimate earnings as public servants.
Education Rights Campaign (ERC), in collaboration with International Non-Governmental Organisations, Social Movements and Civil Society Organisations, made the call at a press conference to commemorate the International Anti-Corruption Day, with the theme “Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity.”
National Coordinator of ERC, Hassan Taiwo, said the call became necessary following the FCT Minister’s public admission that he owns a Rolls-Royce.
The disclosure, he noted, raises serious concerns about the source of the minister’s wealth, as the vehicle’s value is markedly at odds with his legitimate earnings as a public servant.
He observed that despite the growing concerns, neither the EFCC nor the ICPC has invited the minister for questioning, even though there are clear legal provisions empowering anti-corruption agencies to act in cases of suspected illicit wealth.While calling for the operationalisation of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2022, they called on the anti-graft agencies to recover any assets found to be proceeds of corruption not only from ministers, but similar action be extended to all public office holders.
According to Taiwo, corruption has remained a defining feature of Nigeria’s governance despite 25 years of democracy, regretting that the menace continues to undermine national development, erode public trust, weaken institutions and heighten insecurity.
Citing reports by Chatham House and the World Bank, the groups noted that Nigeria ranks among the 40 most corrupt countries globally, with corruption costing the country more than $550 billion since independence, according to Transparency International.
