New Telegraph

Court fines Toke Makinwa N1m for defaming husband

Justice Olukayode Ogunjobi of a Lagos High Court Thursday slammed a N1 million fine on a popular presenter, Omotoke Makinwa, for defaming her estranged husband, Maje Ayida.
Delivering judgement in an alleged defamatory suit filed by Ayida, the judge held that certain content of the presenter’s biography titled, ‘On Becoming’, were harmful to Ayida’s personality.
Justice Ogunjobi ordered Makinwa and the publisher of her biography, Kachifo Limited, to pay Ayida the sum of N500, 000 each. The money, according to the judge, is to be paid into any charity organisation of Ayida’s choice.
The judge also ordered Makinwa and the firm to within 30 days of the judgement, expunge portions containing defamatory words against Ayida from the unsold copies of “On Becoming”.
The portion of the book considered defamatory by the judge is on “Page 54, Line 11-16 and Page 83, Line 1.”
It would be recalled that Ayida had sometime in 2017, through his lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), dragged Makinwa and Kachifo Limited to court in a suit marked, ID/ADR/820/2017, seeking perpetual injunction to halt further publication of the book. He demanded N100 million for damages done to his reputation by certain contents of the book.
Ayida, in the suit, described Makinwa as his estranged wife, “who is obsessed with social media and fame,” adding that after publishing ‘On Becoming’ in November 2016, “purporting the book to be a biography of her life so far,” she used her social media platforms and other circulation platforms, such as Amazon, iTunes and numerous bookshops, to propagate the contents to over three million people.
“The defendants published, authorised the publication and/or caused to be published the words complained of, knowing they were false or reckless. In consequence, the claimant’s hard-earned reputation has been seriously damaged and the claimant has suffered considerable distress and embarrassment, including but not limited to several calls to the claimant by well-meaning Nigerians to request him to go for counselling, mental and marriage therapy sessions.
“By the afore-said publication, the claimant’s reputation has been greatly injured and his public profile has been brought into hatred, ridicule and contempt,” he said.

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