Apostle Suleman Johnson, the founder of Omega Fire Ministries International, has officially filed a lawsuit against Nollywood actress Halima Abubakar, changing the course of their dispute.
The preacher dragged Ms. Abubakar before Justice J. Enobie Obanor of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in the Abuja Judicial Division through his legal counsel, Ephesus Lex Attorneys & Solicitors.
Apostle Johnson Suleman sued her for alleged slander in October 2022.
The court case officially begins on March 25.
The Apostle filed a petition in 2022 requesting a number of sanctions against the actress.
First time he will publicly address the issue since it surfaced in July 2022 as a result of a blog post connecting her claimed affair with the Apostle to the fibroid treatment she allegedly underwent.
The apostle was then contacted by the actress’s siblings via Instagram and told to keep away from her.
The Apostle requested a declaration that her publishing was defamatory among other things.
In addition, he requested that she apologise unconditionally and pay further damages.
Only a day has passed since she hosted a live Instagram session to discuss her relationship with Apostle Suleman.
The actress tried several times to hold a live Instagram session with infamous faceless blogger Friday, as if she had heard about the lawsuit.
Poor connectivity caused the session to break up, which the anonymous writer blamed on Apostle Suleman’s “spiritual” meddling.
The Apostle and his attorneys have filed a lawsuit against the actress since she has not complied with their demands.
Rodney Adzuanaga, the attorney for Mr. Suleman, claimed on Saturday that the actress boasted that she was prepared to appear in court rather than heed the clerics’ initial cease and desist notice.
“We then submitted our paperwork, and the court granted us permission to move on with the case. Right now, she has received justice. We chose to give her the notification via the Daily Trust newspaper because we don’t know her address in Abuja.
“It’s none of our business whether she shows up for court or not. The court will decide our case after we present evidence to support it. She has been served, of that I am certain,” he said.
Demands
Ms. Abubakar, who is reportedly ill with an unidentified illness, said that she had dated the Apostle before the legal processes began.
She further claimed that the apostle was to blame for her illness, saying that he should be held accountable if anything happened to her.
The apostle, who recently escaped a shooting, accuses the actress of defamation.
Her comments harmed his character, credit, reputation, integrity, and ministry, according to the court papers.
Mr. Suleman is requesting the court to issue an order requiring the defendant to retract her defamatory statements that were published on her Instagram account @Halimabubakar and in a number of other online blogs and publications.
Additionally, he is requesting a court order requiring her to pay for the removal of all links and reports of the alleged defamatory comments from all internet platforms.
Other demands include an order of permanent injunction prohibiting her, her agents, or her servants from future publishing or causing to be published the aforementioned or similar comments defamatory to the claimant, as well as the sum of N1 billion as aggravated and exemplary damages for libel.
He is also requesting a court order for Ms. Abubakar to reimburse the N20 million legal cost given to the attorney handling this case.
