By Rauf Oyewole
The Bauchi State High Court 7, presided over by Justice Abdulkadir Lamido Kabir, has awarded N105 million in damages against WikkiTimes Media and Publications Limited for publishing a libelous story against MinXin Mineral Separation, Ali Arzuka, and Ibrahim Usman Adam.
Delivering judgment, Justice Lamido awarded N100 million as general damages and an additional N5 million as cost of action. He held that the online publication, including an inserted picture of notorious terrorist kingpin Dogo Gide, was defamatory and harmful to the plaintiffs’ reputation. The judge noted that WikkiTimes, known on social media as Wikki Times, inserted the image alongside the plaintiffs’ names, thereby portraying them in a false and criminal light.
Justice Lamido ordered WikkiTimes to publish a written apology and retraction on its online platform. He also directed that the apology be published in three nationally circulating newspapers and in two internationally circulated magazines. The court further instructed the defendants to take down the offending story and images from the global internet and all online platforms. He restrained WikkiTimes from issuing similar libelous publications against the plaintiffs and ordered that all stories and images relating to them published from 16 September 2023 be removed.
The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Barr. Emmanuel Danjuma, had initially sued WikkiTimes, Haruna Babale, and Yakubu Mohammed, seeking N10 billion as aggravated and general damages and another N10 million as cost of action. They told the court that on 16 September 2023, the defendants published a malicious article titled: “INVESTIGATION: Inside Secret Details of How Chinese Allied Miners Bribed Dogo Gide Terror Group to Access Mining Sites in Niger State.”
The publication included a photograph of Dogo Gide with the plaintiffs’ names written underneath. According to them, the original photograph was taken with the Niger State Governor, but the defendants allegedly removed the governor’s image and replaced it with that of the terrorist.
The plaintiffs argued that, as an online publication, the story had far-reaching implications due to its global accessibility. They said the publication was intended to malign and destroy their reputation and was widely read, watched, and downloaded. They added that the story alleged that terrorists seized mined stones unless bribed with millions of naira and motorcycles.
They also challenged sections of the story which claimed that they held discussions with Dogo Gide’s mother before beginning mining operations, and that bandits were paid N3 million weekly. They insisted these statements were false and defamatory, exposing them to hatred, ridicule, and public avoidance.
In their defence, led by one of the defendants, Yakubu Mohammed, WikkiTimes denied the allegations. Mohammed said the publication followed the platform’s standard investigative procedures. He stated that the investigation into mining and terrorism in Niger State revealed “gruesome and quite revealing” findings and was intended to draw government attention to insecurity in the affected communities. The defendants denied altering any photograph and challenged the plaintiffs to provide strict proof, insisting that the quoted remarks in the story did not refer to the plaintiffs.
Justice Lamido dismissed the defence and ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, awarding the N105 million damages.
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