Ikechukwu Obiorah Chambers, a law firm, has accused Folio Communications Limited of illegally publishing the Daily Times newspaper (DTN).
Cable reported that, the firm has asked The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) and SmartWeb Nigeria Limited – providing and hosting the online domain and platform – to take down the newspaper’s website “immediately”.
In February, a federal high court sitting in the FCT granted an interim injunction stopping the further publication of the newspaper either by Folio Communications or any of its associates.
The law firm said being the managers of the domain and the platform carrying the website ‘dailytimes.ng’, the court injunction also affects NIRA and SmartWeb Nigeria Limited.
In a letter written to the two bodies and dated March 15, the firm said continuing to manage the newspaper’s online edition will amount to disobedience of the court order.
It alleged that the Anosike brothers have “for a long time seized [sic] being members, officers and/or authorised associates of DTN in any capacity whatsoever and have no consent of the DTN to engage in the publication of DailyTimes.”
The letter, signed on behalf of the law firm by Ifunanya Oranuba, read: “Take notice that unless you take down the website immediately, you would be in contempt of court thereby exposing yourselves to sanctions of court including imprisonment.
“Please be aware that sanctions shall apply to the executive members being the principal officers and NIRA as well as SmartWeb Nigeria Limited jointly and severally.
“Take further notice that your participation in the illegal publications of ‘Daily Times’ by providing the platform and website with which the publication is made and sold to the public through subscriptions and adverts, also exposes you to the criminal charges of cheating by impersonation and of criminal conspiracy as provided by section 321 and 96 of the penal code respectively.
“Note also that civil damages and restitution to DTN will in due course be claimed from you in a separate lawsuit.”
The federal government owned 96.05 percent shares of Daily Times before it was sold to Folio Communications Limited in 2004 during the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration.
Since the privatisation exercise, however, Folio Communications has been embattled with court cases with Ikechukwu Obiorah, one of the managers of the law firm.
This led to a subsequent take-over of the assets of DTN by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
When contacted by TheCable for reaction, Bonaventure Melah, spokesman of Folio Communications, accused Obiorah of flouting court orders, and “going through the backdoor” to obtain the said court ruling.