Court Strikes Out Buhari’s Defamation Suit Against AIT

The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out the defamation suit filed by President Muhammadu Buhari against DAAR Communications Plc., the parent company of Africa Independent Television (AIT).

Justice John Tsoho held that the court was compelled to strike out the suit because it appeared abandoned.

According to him, no representations from the parties have been entered since the matter was assigned to the court.

“This is against the rules of court. All opportunities given for the plaintiff and the respondents to put life in the suit have failed. The suit is hereby struck out,’’ Tsoho said.

Buahari had filed the suit in 2015, challenging the alleged documentary transmitted by the station, which he claimed was aimed at defaming his character in the eyes of the public.

The President averred that the video documentary aired by AIT was aimed at giving him away as a dictator and religious bigot.

He  also averred that the documentary was also shown on the state-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had written to the two stations, describing the video as fabricated and defamatory.

Subsequently, Buhari, the presidential candidate of the APC at the time, then approached the court with the suit.