An FCT High Court in Abuja has granted an application by Lilian Onoh, a former Nigerian High Commissioner to Namibia, to testify virtually from the United States in a libel suit filed by former minister of foreign affairs Geoffrey Onyeama.
Ms Onoh, daughter of a former governor of old Anambra State, Christian Onoh, is the sister of Onyeama’s ex-wife, Nuzo Onoh.
The ex-minister alleged that Onoh, in a series of media engagements portrayed him as being corrupt while he served in the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The duo has been in a legal battle both in Nigeria and the US, accusing each other of defamation.
At the Nigerian court in Abuja on Thursday, Justice Kesia Ogbonnaya said Onoh could testify from her base in the US.
In addition, the judge ordered the defendant to file her statement of defence alongside her witness statement on oath before the next hearing of the suit.
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The order followed a request by Onoh’s lawyer, Monday Ejeh, praying the court for time to file the necessary court documents in defence of his client.
Onyeama’s lawyer Agada Elachi did not object to the filing of the papers out of time.
The judge, consequently, adjourned the suit until January 24 “for final and definite hearing” of Onoh’s defence in the matter.
In a warning to the defendant’s lawyer, Ejeh, the judge said: “If the 1st defendant (Onoh) is not ready to do the matter, this court will do the needful.”
Onoh, who was also Nigeria’s head of mission in Jamaica, had accused the judge of bias and called on Justice Ogbonnaya to recuse self from the case.
However, the judge insisted on hearing and determining the matter.
The former envoy also accused the claimant, Onyeama, of colluding with court officials to keep court filings away from her, a development that led to the hearing of the case without her knowledge.
