The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Adama Iyayi-Lamikanra, had on April 23, 2018, adjourned the matter till May 28, but had to fix another date after it failed to sit on the adjourned date. Though counsel to the plaintiff, Emeka Etiaba, SAN, and his legal team were present in court on Monday, respondents in the matter, including the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, were not in court. But Etiaba, who informed newsmen about the new date, explained that his client (Secondus) was told to pick a new date in the courtroom, adding that they were not informed in advance that the court would not meet. He said, “We were not told in advance that the court will not sit. We are here. But much as no party was informed that the court will not sit; none of the defendants is in court. It is instructive that the matter was filed on 6th of April, 2018 and on the 14th of April, the defendants were all served by substituted means. “It is about two months or more now and they have not bothered to put appearance, to file any defence, in a matter where they published that Secondus looted the economy of this country. They (respondents) have not bothered to come to court to demonstrate how he looted or collected the sum of N250 million from the coffers of government. “It is our belief that having failed to put up appearance, to attend court to file a defence, to depose how the looting was done, the defendants are rough-riding the judiciary and the rule of law in this country. “There is no reason why they should not be in court. No individual is above the law. It is very sad. The matter has been adjourned to the 26th of June.” Etiaba, however, noted that his team would move the court to hear the suit on the next adjourned date if the respondents were not in court. Recall that Secondus had approached the State High Court presided over by the State Chief Judge, Justice I.A. Iyayi-Lamikanra, in Suit Number Suit PHC/1013/2018, seeking the sum of N1.5 billion as damages over the publishing of his name in the media as one of those allegedly involved in the looting of the country’s treasury. Secondus was reported to have received the sum of N200 million from the Office of the then National Security Adviser on February 19, 2015. Apparently not satisfied with the claim by the minister, the national PDP chairman sued the minister alongside the Federal Government and Vintage Press, seeking among other prayers a declaration that the defendants should retract the said publication and apologise in writing to him (claimant) for the defamatory publication. However, Justice Iyayi-Laminkanra granted one of the prayers sought by the claimant when she restrained the defendants from further mentioning the name of Secondus in the looters’ list.]]>
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