Wike, Channels TV face N40bn defamation lawsuit as court sets hearing date

An Abuja high court has directed Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to formally respond to a N40 billion defamation suit filed against him by Tonye Cole.

Channels Incorporated Limited, owners of Channels Television, is also named as a defendant in the action.

According to a court notice sighted on Friday, the case—numbered CV/4502/25—is scheduled for hearing on December 9 before Justice M. A. Hassan of Court 33.

“Take notice that suit no: CV/4502/25 Tonye Patrick Cole vs Nyesom Ezenwo Wike & Anor will come up on the 9th day of December 2025 before Hon. Justice M. A. Hassan (Court 33) for mention,” the notice stated.

Cole’s legal team, led by senior lawyer Jibrin Okutepa, said the lawsuit followed the alleged refusal of Wike and Channels Television to act on a pre-action notice and a demand letter dated October 8.

The former All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers state is requesting N40 billion in damages over comments made by Wike during a live appearance on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on September 18.

Cole alleges that the remarks were false, malicious, and injurious to his reputation across personal, professional, and public spheres.

Court filings show that Wike’s comments appeared to link Cole to financial impropriety and the mishandling of state assets, including issues connected to Rivers state gas and the Olympia Hotel.

Cole’s counsel argues that the comments amounted to defamation because they suggested dishonesty and wrongdoing, harming his national and international standing.

The claimant also said he experienced humiliation, mental distress, and reputational damage as a result of what he described as a “malicious, reckless, and unfounded defamatory broadcast and publication.”

In addition to the N40 billion claim, Cole is seeking N500 million to cover litigation costs, alongside a judicial declaration that the remarks were false and defamatory.

He is also requesting an order compelling the defendants to retract the allegations, remove the broadcast from all platforms, and publish a public apology on Channels Television and in no fewer than five national newspapers.

He further seeks a perpetual injunction barring the defendants from issuing any subsequent defamatory statements about him.

The court has given the defendants 21 days from the date they receive the writ to enter an appearance.