A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has
barred the Africa Independent Television
from further airing of a documentary
tagged the 'Lion of Bourdillon.'
The said documentary, which the TV
station began airing on March 1, 2015,
chronicled series of alleged financial
misconduct by a former governor of
Lagos State, Mr. Bola Tinubu.
But Justice Iyabo Akinkugbe on Monday
ordered the TV station to stop
broadcasting the documentary forthwith
pending the determination of a suit filed
against the broadcast.
'The defendant is hereby restrained
from further airing, publishing,
disseminating or broadcasting the
documentary 'Lion of Bourdilion,'
pending the determination of the
interlocutory application,' the court held.
Tinubu, through his lawyer, Chief Wole
Olanipekun (SAN), had sued the
privately-owned television station
seeking N150bn in damages for the
airing of the 'Lion of Bourdillon,' which
he considered to be defamatory to his
person.
Olanipekun, on Monday, orally applied
for an interim order of the court to stop
AIT and its privies from the continued
airing of the documentary.
This was pursuant to an interlocutory
application filed on the subject matter.
The senior lawyer contended that the
continued broadcast of the
documentary, described as offensive,
posed a real, imminent and urgent
threat to the integrity of his client in the
society.
Olanipekun maintained that except the
court stopped the TV station from
further broadcast of the documentary,
no amount of money would be able to
compensate for the damages that would
be done to his client.
But his attempt to move the application
was opposed by counsel for AIT, Chief
Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who said he had
yet to file a response to the application.
Ozekhome said the application was only
served on him last week Thursday and
that he needed time to respond in the
interest of fair hearing.
He subsequently asked the court to
oblige him with a short adjournment to
enable him to file the reply. The court
accordingly acceded to his prayer.
However, Olanipekun made an oral
application, asking the court to grant an
interim order restraining AIT from airing
the contentious documentary.
Although Ozekhome again objected to
the prayer for interim injunction,
Akinkugbe, however, overruled the
objection and granted the order.
The matter was subsequently adjourned
till March 20, for argument on the
interlocutory application.