The lawsuit filed by Nigerian boxer, Bashiru Ali, also known as Bash Ali against the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, and the Federal Government of Nigeria has been adjourned to March 31, 2022 for hearing.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed adjourned the case after the counsel for Ali, Adebayo Shittu, prayed the court to allow him serve processes to the 3rd defendant, as they have not been served.
The defendants in the matter are the Minister of Youths and Sports Developments, Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, and the Attorney General of the federation, as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.
When the matter came up for hearing, Shittu told the court that he had received the reply on point of law from the 1st and 2nd defendant, which urged the court to dismiss the suit on grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction on the matter, and that the suit had no reasonable cause of action against the defendant.
He however asked the court for another date to enable him to serve the Attorney General of the federation who is also a party in the matter.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed therefore adjourned the case to March 31, for hearing.
The former world cruiserweight boxing champion, Bash Ali, is suing the first defendant, Sunday Dare, for defamation of character and the consequent loss of wages.
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The suit is coming after the Minister had approached the federal high court, Abuja in June, 2021, seeking a restraining order and charging Bash Ali with libel and defamation of character.
Dare had also dragged Bash Ali to court for circulating a video online in which he allegedly made defamatory, false and unsubstantiated allegations against his person.
In the viral video, the boxer accused the Minister of extorting millions of naira from the funds President Muhammad Buhari made available for his Guinness World Record fight.
The minister however claimed that the video was in disregard of a pending libel suit, claiming damages to the sum of N5 billion against Bash Ali for defamatory allegations made in the past.
Ali also alleged that it was the other way round as the Minister was already begging him through his lawyer for an out of court settlement.
Editor Paul Akhagbemhe
