News reaching ViewPointNigeria suggests that Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has dragged his predecessor, Senator Joshua Dariye to court, demanding N10 billion as compensation for libel and defamation of character. Joined in the suit is Beacon Newspapers, published in Jos, the State capital.

In a suit No. PLD/J319/2013, filed at Jos High Court, the Governor through his counsel, Sunday Odey, averred that Joshua Dariye had, in a newspaper interview libeled him, by calling him a serial thief, who along with his children and business associates are milking the State treasury dry.

Jang is contending that in a publication by The Beacon Newspaper, published on June 2, 2013, the defendant had said, among others that, “Jang is the most corrupt human being you are yet to know. He has used religion for that purpose and I want to be quoted. Jang is very corrupt’.

It went on thus; “The author of corruption starts with Jang and ends with him. In fact, Jang can be described as the House of Eli. Eli’s children were carting away offerings brought to the alter; sacred sacrifices. I want to challenge Jang on what was his balance sheet between 1999 – 2007?
This was a man who could hardly afford any income. I remember when I was in Benue Cement; through my magnanimity helped him. Today, because he is stealing public funds, he has the audacity to brand me as corrupt. I don’t think he has any moral right to do so.”

News reaching ViewPointNigeria suggests that Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has dragged his predecessor, Senator Joshua Dariye to court, demanding N10 billion as compensation for libel and defamation of character. Joined in the suit is Beacon Newspapers, published in Jos, the State capital.

In a suit No. PLD/J319/2013, filed at Jos High Court, the Governor through his counsel, Sunday Odey, averred that Joshua Dariye had, in a newspaper interview libeled him, by calling him a serial thief, who along with his children and business associates are milking the State treasury dry.

Jang is contending that in a publication by The Beacon Newspaper, published on June 2, 2013, the defendant had said, among others that, “Jang is the most corrupt human being you are yet to know. He has used religion for that purpose and I want to be quoted. Jang is very corrupt’.

It went on thus; “The author of corruption starts with Jang and ends with him. In fact, Jang can be described as the House of Eli. Eli’s children were carting away offerings brought to the alter; sacred sacrifices. I want to challenge Jang on what was his balance sheet between 1999 – 2007?
This was a man who could hardly afford any income. I remember when I was in Benue Cement; through my magnanimity helped him. Today, because he is stealing public funds, he has the audacity to brand me as corrupt. I don’t think he has any moral right to do so.”

In the summons, a copy of which was obtained by Dailypost in Jos, on Thursday, Governor Jang said “The words published and circulated by the defendants touched on my integrity, libelous and therefore defamatory to me and my reputation as the Governor of Plateau State.

The Governor in a statement of claim averred that, “The publication meant that I’m not capable of leadership, and grossly incompetent as Governor of Plateau State.

Adding that, his predecessor, by the interview, implied that he (Jang) has “unforgiving spirit, deceitful, corrupt, morally depraved, evil, a murderer and a coward”.

He further averred that the words in the alleged offensive publication portrayed him as not only unprepared to govern, but that he was only on a revenge mission through his negative sentiments towards groups of people from other ethnic groups; nepotistism and hypocrisy.

The defendant is therefore asking the court to order Dariye to wholly and unambiguously retract the libelous publication in the said newspaper and four other national newspapers. Jang also wants Dariye to tender an unreserved apology to him by publishing same in the second defendant and four other national newspapers.

The governor is also asking the court to direct Dariye to pay him N10 billion as aggravated and general damages.

The court is yet to fix a date for hearing.

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Jang sues Dariye for libel, seeks N10 billion compensation