A Federal Territory Territory High Court in Wuse Zone II, Abuja, has declared former President Olusesegun Obasanjo of being in comptent of court by going ahead to flout its order, which restrained him from going ahead with the publication of its book, ‘My Watch’.
Justice Valentine Ashi on Wednesday gave Obasanjo 21 days to show cause why he should not be punished for flouting the court order and also ordered security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Service, to recover the book from book stands.
He ordered that the enrolled orders of the court be served on all media houses in the country and be equally served on the defendant by publication in two national daily newspapers.
The judge held on Wednesday, “I hold the defendant, not only in contempt of the court, but to show cause why he should not be punished for contempt and ordered to undo what he had wrongly done.
“The defendant, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, shall be given 21 days from the day this order is served on him, to show cause, via affidavit, why he should not be punished for contempt committed by publishing and distributing for sale to the public, the book, My Watch, in plain disregard of the pendency of substantive suit and the order of this court made on December 5, 2014 restraining him from doing so.
“The defendant, whether by himself, agents, servants, privies or whatever name called, is hereby restrained from further publication or offering for sale or distribution, in any way or manner, the book called My Watch or the like of the visual or written materials, which contains a re-publication or statement extracted from the letter referred to by the plaintiff.”
The judge had on December 5 restrained Obasanjo from going ahead with the publication pending the determination of the N20bn libel suit instituted against him by a Peoples Democratic Party chief in Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu.
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