Court Hears Orji’s Suit Against The Sun Nov 11

An Abia State High
Court sitting in Ohafia and presided over by Justice Amanze Chikwendu Chioma, has fixed November 11, 2014, for hearing in the libel suit instituted by the first son of Abia State Governor, Chinedu Orji, against The Sun Newspapers and Ebere Wabara.
The adjournment followed two motions filed by lawyer to the defendants, A. C. Arinze, to the effect that the second defendant, Wabara, was not served with the court processes.
Though lawyers to the claimant, led by Livy Uzoukwu, did not object the motions, he, however, told the court that there were “calculated attempt by the defendants to stall hearing in the matter.”
Uzoukwu complained that the motions, which dated July 9, 2014 and September 17 respectively, were only served them on September 29; an action he said was part of the effort to frustrate the matter from proceeding.
But Arinze, in his reply, said they did not have any plan to stall proceedings of the matter and blamed the late service on location of the claimant’s counsel, which he said was outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Before adjourning the matter, Justice Chioma told the claimant’s lawyers to provide an address within jurisdiction for easy service of processes to them.
Chinedu, an engineer, has in Suit No. HON/5/2014 dragged the newspaper to court for allegedly calling him a terrorist, who was involved in terrorist  activities in one of its articles on its March 10, 2014 edition, saying the meaning is  that he is a lawbreaker and a criminal.
In the suit, the claimant is, therefore, claiming the sum of N5 billion as damages for libel and an unreserved apology to be published inside, at least, three editions of the newspaper.
He is also asking for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants or their agents from further writing or publishing the said libellous matter or similar one against him.