A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja on Wednesday ruled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in contempt of court for flouting it’s orders restraining him from among others, publishing his autobiography, “My Watch.”
Justice Valentine Ashi, in a ruling, gave Obasanjo 21 days (from the day of service of the court’s orders on him) show cause why he should not be punished for contempt for going ahead to publish the book in spite of the ex-parte interim order made by the court on December 5 and a pending libel suit before the involving him.
“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 the suit and the order of this court made on December 5, 2014 restraining him from doing so.
“The defendants, 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 said.
Justice Ashi also ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Director General of the Department of State Services (DG, DSS) and the Comptroller of Customs to recover the published book from all book stands, sales agents, vendors, the sea and airports and deposit them with his court’s registrar pending the determination of the substantive suit.”
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 dailies.
Source: TheHeraldng