The Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained Wale Adenuga Production Limited and its CEO Wale Adenuga from producing or publishing the television series The Village Headmaster.
Justice Mohammed Liman directed the defendants, Wale Adenuga Production Limited (first defendant), Adenuga (second defendant) and the Nigeria Television Authority (third defendant), to within 24 hours of being served with the order of the court, deliver to the custody of the court or the plaintiff’s counsel all documents and invoices relating to production, distribution, importation or broadcasting to the public The Village Headmaster without the permission of the plaintiff.
Justice Liman ruled that the Anton Piller-type order would subsist pending the hearing of an interlocutory injunction.
An Anton Piller order is made ex-parte (without notice) and requires a defendant or respondent to allow certain persons to enter his premises to search for documents and movable articles as are specified in the court order and to permit such documents or articles to be taken away.
The court also ordered the defendants to disclose to the bailiff of the court who shall serve the order upon them the names addresses of all persons, companies responsible for supplying any merchandise product of the characters in the TV series.
The court also directed the defendants to disclose the date and quantities of such supply as well as the names and addresses of all the persons, firm and companies who are parties or associated with the defendants concerning the series.
The court granted an order permitting the plaintiff or his counsel, court bailiff and police officers accompanying them to break open the defendants’ premises where anything relating to the series is being kept.
Justice Liman further restrained the defendants from merchandising The Village Headmaster or the characters therein in any format whatsoever without the plaintiff’s permission pending the determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
The judge further granted the defendants the liberty to apply to the court to vary or discharge the orders upon giving 48-hour notice to the plaintiff’s counsel.
He adjourned until March 11 for the hearing of the interlocutory injunction.
Olujimi Olusola, the executor and beneficiary of the estate of Ambassador Olusegun Olusola had filed a suit numbered FHC/L/CS/117/2021 through his lawyers Professor Bankole Sodipo and Segun Suleiman against Wale Adenuga Production Limited, Wale Adenuga and the NTA.
Created by Ambassador Olusola, The Village Headmaster started as a radio programme in 1958.
It ran as a TV series from 1968 until it was rested in 1988 on NTA.
A short-lived revival as The New Village Headmaster ended in 1991.
