Court Summons Wike in Tonye Cole’s N40bn Defamation Case

An Abuja high court has directed Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory, to appear in a N40 billion defamation case brought against him by Tonye Cole. Channels Incorporated Limited, owners of Channels Television, is also named in the suit.

A notice from the court stated that the case, marked CV/4502/25, is scheduled for mention on December 9 before Justice M. A. Hassan of Court 33. Cole’s legal team, led by Jibrin Okutepa, said the suit was filed after Wike and Channels Television allegedly failed to respond to a pre-action notice and a demand letter issued on October 8.

Cole, the APC’s 2023 governorship candidate in Rivers State, is seeking damages over comments made by Wike during a live appearance on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on September 18. He claims the remarks were false, malicious, and harmful to his reputation across personal, professional, and public domains.

Court documents show that the disputed comments suggested involvement in financial impropriety, including issues tied to Rivers State gas assets and the Olympia Hotel. Cole’s counsel argued that the statements implied dishonesty and misconduct, causing significant injury to his standing both within and outside Nigeria.

Cole says he has endured humiliation, mental distress, and reputational damage as a result of what he describes as a reckless and unfounded broadcast. He is requesting N500 million to cover litigation expenses, a declaration that the statements were defamatory, and orders compelling the defendants to retract the allegations, remove the broadcast from all platforms, and issue a public apology on Channels Television and in at least five national newspapers.

He is also seeking a perpetual injunction preventing the defendants from publishing any further defamatory material. The court has instructed the defendants to enter an appearance within 21 days of receiving the writ.