May 27, (THEWILL) – The Supreme Court has dismissed a suit by former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, seeking to set aside N6 billion damages awarded against him for defaming the character of Dr Peter Odili, a former Governor of Rivers State.
In a judgement prepared by Justice Adamu Augie, but delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro, the court dismissed Peterside’s appeal for want of merit.
The apex court upheld the decisions of the lower courts, which imposed a fine of N6 billion on him to be paid to Odili as compensation for his defamed character.
Odili had in October 2016 dragged Peterside to court, demanding N6 billion as damages for character defamation.
In the suit, the former Rivers State Governor had claimed that Peterside, during a press conference in Port Harcourt, defamed him in his allegations that Governor Nyesom Wike’s Supreme Court victory was hatched by him.
The allegation was made on the fact that the wife of Mr Odili, Mrs Mary Ukaego Odili, was a Supreme Court justice at the time of the judgement.
