Court slams N30 million damages against Linda Ikeji

The Delta State High Court in Effurun has ruled in favor of the Neo Black Movement (NBM) of Africa, awarding a sum of N30 million as general damages against Linda Ikeji for her defamatory publication against the organization. The presiding judge, Justice Roli Daibo-Harriman, also ordered Ikeji to pay N300,000 as litigation costs.

Additionally, Ikeji must publish a retraction of the libelous article on her blog and in national newspapers. She is further restrained from making any more damaging publications against the Claimants and members of NBM of Africa.

The lawsuit, numbered EHC/210/2021, was filed by the Registered Trustees of NBM of Africa, Ese Kakor, Felix Kupa, and Mayor Onyebueke. They took legal action after Ikeji failed to retract and apologize for the defamatory article published on Oct. 19, 2021, where she referred to NBM of Africa as a dreaded cult group, black axe, criminal organization, among other defamatory terms.

Justice Daibo-Harriman deemed the words used by Ikeji in her publication as defamatory and ruled accordingly.

Speaking to reporters after the court proceedings, lead counsel for the Claimants, Mr. Kelvin Agbroko, expressed satisfaction with the judgement, emphasizing the importance of verifying information before publication.

President of NBM of Africa, Mr. Ese Kakor, commented on the two-year-long case, stating that the judgement serves as a warning against defaming organizations or individuals without proper basis.

Kakor clarified that NBM of Africa is a legal and registered organization, not associated with cultism or criminal activities. He urged the public to act within the bounds of the law.

It's worth noting that Ikeji was not present in court nor represented during the proceedings.