Nollywood star Halima Abubakar has been fined N10 million for making defamatory statements about Apostle Johnson Suleman, the Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries International.

The Federal Capital Territory High Court issued the order, stating that Abubakar published derogatory remarks about Apostle Suleman on her Instagram page, which were subsequently circulated by various media outlets.

In the judgement, Justice Enobie Obanor emphasized that Abubakar had the opportunity to defend herself but failed to do so. The court ruled in favor of Apostle Suleman, awarding him N10,000,000 in damages for the libelous statements published on Abubakar's Instagram handle and shared on numerous blogs.

The judgement partly reads: “The statements published by the defendant against the claimant on her Instagram handle, @halimabubakar, falsely and maliciously written and published to the general public, are defamatory of the person of the claimant.

“The sum of N10,000,000 only to the claimant as aggravated and exemplary damages for libel contained in the publication of the defendant against the claimant on her Instagram handle, @Halimabubakar and caused to be published in several blogs.”

Furthermore, the court prohibited Abubakar from making any further publications concerning Apostle Suleman. This ruling underscores the consequences of publishing defamatory content online and serves as a reminder of the legal implications involved.