COOMASSIE
V.
TELL COMMUNICATIONS LTD & ORS
·
MUSDAPHER, J.C.A.: (Delivering the Leading Judgment): In the High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and in suit No. FCT/HC/CV/33/99, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, the erstwhile Inspector General of Police, as the plaintiff claimed against the defendants, damages for libel. The offending statement was said to have been published in Tell Magazine issue of No. 52 dated December 28th, 1998. The first defendant is the publisher of the Magazine, the 2nd defendant and the third defendant are the reporter and the Editor-in-Chief of the said Magazine, while the 4th defendant was the person, who made the alleged offending statement in an interview which was published as aforesaid. The defendants were all said to be resident at Lagos outside the jurisdiction of the court.
The action was said to be instituted against the defendants on the 5th day of February, 1999 and by an ex-parte application of that date, the plaintiff obtained leave to issue and serve the writ outside the …