Halima Abubakar, a prominent figure in Nollywood, has been ordered by a Federal Capital Territory High Court to pay a hefty N10 million fine for making defamatory statements about Apostle Johnson Suleman, the Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries International.
The court’s decision was based on the fact that Abubakar had allegedly posted derogatory remarks about Apostle Suleman on her Instagram page, which were subsequently picked up by various blogs and newspapers, leading to a tarnished reputation for the cleric.
Despite being given the opportunity to defend herself in court, Abubakar failed to do so, resulting in the court ruling in favor of Apostle Suleman and awarding him N10,000,000 as damages for the libelous statements made by the actress.
The judgement highlighted that the statements made by Abubakar were false, malicious, and defamatory towards Apostle Suleman, warranting the significant sum of money to be paid as aggravated and exemplary damages for the harm caused to the cleric’s reputation.
Additionally, the court issued a restraining order preventing Abubakar from making any further publications or statements about Apostle Suleman, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter and the need to protect the pastor’s reputation from further harm.
