Chocolate City boss, Audu Maikori, has once again floored Governor Nasir el-Rufa’I over a petition to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
El-Rufa’I through Umma Hikima, Attorney General-General and Commissioner of Justice of Kaduna state had petitioned Ms. Gloria Ballason Mabeaim, counsel to Mr. Audu Maikori, to the NBA over her article “Kaduna State Under Siege” which appeared in the Blueprint Newspaper on Monday, April, 10th 2017.
Hikima in the petition alleged that Mabeaim had breached professional ethics, therefore should be sanctioned.
However, NBA General Secretary, Aare Isiaka Olagunju said the association could cause any investigation into the matter.
“The allegation of defamation and injurious falsehood contained in your petition are tortuous liabilities which are actions in persona and not in term before a court of competent jurisdiction. We are of the considered position that the respondent, who is a newspaper columnist merely, reported, published and expressed her opinion via an article on facts already within the public domain”, Olagunju wrote.
Citing Section 39 (1) (2) of the Constitution, the NBA concluded that the article complained against does not in any way amount to professional misconduct to warrant any form of possible investigation into the matter and to invoke the disciplinary power of the Association.
Before the latest defeat, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had ordered el-Rufai, and the police to pay Maikori the sum of N40m.
The money was awarded as compensation for the unlawful arrest and detention of Maikori between February 17 and 18, 2017 and again March 10 and 13, 2017.
Justice John Tsoho delivered the judgement following a fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed by Maikori on May 5, 2017.
The judge also directed the respondents to pay the sum of N1,430 to the applicant as the cost of instituting the suit.
