Halima Abubakar, a Nollywood actress, has been fined N10 million for spreading defamatory allegations about Omega Fire Ministries International’s Senior Pastor and General Overseer, Apostle Johnson Suleman.
On Monday, a Federal Capital Territory High Court ordered the actress to pay the cleric’s damages.
According to a certified authentic copy of the ruling, Apostle Suleman accused the actress of posting insulting comments about him on her Instagram page, which circulated widely online.
In his decision, Justice Enobie Obanor stated that Abubakar was given the opportunity to defend herself in the case but did not do so.
The judgement partly reads: “The statements published by the defendant against the claimant on her Instagram handle, @halimabubakar, falsely and maliciously written and published to the general public, are defamatory of the person of the claimant.
“The sum of N10,000,000 only to the claimant as aggravated and exemplary damages for libel contained in the publication of the defendant against the claimant on her Instagram handle, @Halimabubakar and caused to be published in several blogs.”
READ MORE: You Dey Sing Yoruba Proverb Music For Us – Burna Boy Subtly Shades Brymo
The court also forbade Abubakar from publishing any further information about Apostle Suleman.