The founder of Omega Fire Ministries International, Apostle Johnson Suleman, is pushing back against accusations from actress Halima Abubakar by urging her to defend her claims in court.
Through his lawyer, Dr Abdul Mahmud, Suleman insists that Abubakar should substantiate her allegations during the trial of a 1 billion Naira defamation suit filed against her.
Dr Mahmud stated in Abuja that his client was “unjustly attacked, maligned, and defamed” by the actress in what he suggests was an attempt to blackmail him for financial gain.
The lawyer asserted that they are confident of securing justice for the clergyman against the defamation charges.
The lawyer further recollected that they had filed a 1 billion Naira damages suit against Abubakar in the FCT High Court in Abuja due to her relentless defamatory assaults against Suleman.
“Despite serving a Cease and Desist letter to the actress, she continued her baseless attacks on our client,” Mahmud explained.
The lawyer also highlighted that, following the court’s order, they had to resort to a public notice to serve court processes, which was advertised in a national newspaper.
However, neither the actress nor her counsel appeared on the scheduled court date, leading to a rescheduled hearing on June 6th and 7th, 2023.
The clergyman’s legal counsel has declared their readiness to both open and close their client’s case within the two days allocated by the court.
They also aim to establish their client’s claim for damages against the actress and expose her alleged lies.
Actress Halima Abubakar had accused Pastor Suleman of having an affair with her, leading to her falling ill.
She further claimed that she had gotten pregnant three times for the pastor, each resulting in a loss.
In response to these allegations, Suleman’s lawsuit before Justice Enobie Obanor demands an apology from the defendant for her accusations.
He also requests the removal of all defamatory publications linked to the actress from internet platforms and seeks a permanent injunction barring her from making such comments in the future.
Along with 1 billion Naira in damages for libel, Suleman is asking for the actress to cover 20 million Naira in legal expenses.
