Haruna Mohammed, publisher of WikkiTimes
A magistrate in Bauchi has issued a bench warrant against Haruna Mohammed, WikkiTimes publisher, for failing to appear in court.
Mohammed is standing trial for “defamation” over an investigative report written by Yawale Adamu and published in the newspaper.
Abubakar Abdullahi, who is a director of Sahel Global Desert Energy Limited, sued WikkiTimes over the publication.
Adamu and Mohammed are defendants in the suit.
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Reacting to the warrant of arrest, Idris Gambo, WikkiTimes’ counsel, explained that his clients were unaware of the lawsuit until they were served through substituted means.
He said his clients have been complying with court dates and that he has informed the court that the publisher is out of the country.
“After we received the service at our office, we went to court, but it wasn’t in session, and the complainant was absent,” he said.
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“We requested to be informed of any new dates. Therefore, we have not erred. We asked the registry to notify us of any rescheduled hearings.
“Despite this, the complainant told the court that we ignored its invitation, as there was no record of our attendance.”
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