VC Urges Court To Dismiss ₦100.5bn Defamation Suit By Nasarawa Govt, Governor Sule
Vice Chancellor of the University of Mkar, Benue State, Professor Zacharys Anger Gundu, has urged a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to dismiss or strike out a whopping ₦100.5 billion defamation lawsuit instituted against him by the Nasarawa State Government and Governor Abdullahi Sule.
The suit, marked FCT/HC/CV/3554/2025, stems from comments allegedly made by Prof. Gundu during a television programme, which the claimants described as portraying them as encouraging insecurity in Nasarawa State.
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In a robust notice of preliminary objection filed by his legal team led by Sebastian Hon (SAN), Prof. Gundu challenged the competence of the suit, describing it as frivolous, incompetent and a gross abuse of court process.
He contended that the claimants failed to fulfill the mandatory condition precedent under Order 2 Rule 8 of the FCT High Court’s Civil Procedure Rules, 2025, rendering the originating processes invalid.
Prof. Gundu further argued that the joint pleadings by the Nasarawa State Government and Gov. Sule amount to an abuse of process, as the government lacks any right of action, cause of action or reasonable cause in defamation.
He pointed out that the alleged defamatory words do not mention the government’s name anywhere, and that a government entity cannot sue for common law remedies like damages in defamation matters.
Furthermore, the vice chancellor asserted that no pre-action notice was served on him, another fatal procedural flaw that should lead to the suit’s dismissal.
He urged Justice Hamza Mu’azu to decline jurisdiction over the matter, emphasizing its lack of merit from inception.
In his statement of defence, Prof. Gundu raised strong defences of justification and fair comment, maintaining that his utterances referenced the actions of a public servant in official duties.
He described the comments as a fair assessment of the security and land tenure challenges in Nasarawa State, where Gov. Sule serves as both Chief Security Officer and Chief Trustee of lands.
The claimants seek multiple reliefs, including an order for Prof. Gundu to retract the statements publicly, payment of ₦100.5 billion in damages, and costs of the action.
They accused the professor of accusing Gov. Sule of providing haven to Fulani herdsmen linked to attacks in Benue communities.
During proceedings on Monday, Justice Hamza Mu’azu listened to arguments from counsel on both sides before reserving ruling on the preliminary objection.
The date for the ruling will be communicated to the parties in due course, leaving the high-stakes suit hanging in balance.
Legal observers await the court’s decision, which could set precedents on government suits in defamation.
