Pauline Onyibe 
A Bayelsa State High Court, presided over by Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, has awarded ₦500 million in damages to former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke, for defamation against the producers and director of the documentary “Is It Your Money.”
Allison-Madueke, in suit no: BYHC/YHC/CV/180/2024, had dragged the defendants—Chude Jideonwo, Judith Audu, Eromo Egbejule, YNIIJA Limited, and Capital Film Productions Limited—to court, seeking ₦5 billion in damages over the documentary.
She also prayed the court for an order directing the defendants to retract the libelous publications and tender an unreserved apology, to be published in three national newspapers in Nigeria and a widely circulated daily in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Additionally, she sought a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, or anyone associated with them, from further publishing or airing any part of the documentary.
Represented by her counsel, Andrew Seweniowor Arthur, Allison-Madueke argued that the contents of the documentary gravely injured and maligned her reputation.
In his judgment over the weekend, Justice Omukoro noted that the defendants’ failure to appear in court to defend the defamatory publication left him with no choice but to conclude that they had no defence.
He ruled: “The defendants have unlawfully and maliciously engaged in an extrajudicial media trial and conviction of the claimant without affording her the opportunity to be heard first or tried by a court of law.”
“This, in my view, is sufficient to warrant not only the grant of the first relief for a declaration of libel against the defendants but also all other reliefs, including aggravated, punitive, and exemplary damages.”
He acknowledged Allison-Madueke’s global profile, noting her past positions as President of OPEC, a three-time minister, and an Executive Director at Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd.
However, he reduced the damages awarded from ₦5 billion to ₦500 million.
