Danjuma Drops Defamation Suit Against Pastor Rika

A Lagos State High Court has struck out a N1 billion defamation suit filed by former minister of Defence, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd), against Pastor Paul Rika and Holiness Revival Ministry Worldwide (HOREMOW), following the claimant’s decision to withdraw the case.

The suit, instituted in September 2024, arose from a publication authored by Pastor Rika titled “God’s Message to Kuteb Tribe and Indigenes of Taraba State,” which General Danjuma alleged contained defamatory statements against his person.

The case, which attracted both national and international attention due to the stature of the parties involved, was formally discontinued on January 12, 2026, through a notice of discontinuance filed by Danjuma’s legal team under Order 25, Rule 2 of the Lagos State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019.

At the hearing before Justice J. O. Pedro of the Lagos State High Court, Commercial Division, counsel to Danjuma, Moses Agbede, informed the court of the claimant’s decision to withdraw the suit.

The counsel to the defendants, Noel Ighota and George Agocha Ojeka, confirmed receipt of the notice and raised no objection.

However, defence counsel urged the court to award costs against the claimant, citing significant expenses already incurred by Pastor Rika and HOREMOW, including travel, accommodation, and other logistics. They requested costs of N10 million.

In her ruling, Justice Pedro struck out the suit and awarded costs of ₦250,000 against General Danjuma in favour of the defendants.

The judge declined the claimant’s plea for a waiver of costs, noting that the rules of the court clearly provide for costs to be awarded to defendants when a suit is withdrawn or discontinued.

The court further cautioned the claimant and his legal team against filing frivolous or inadequately prepared cases, and stressed the need for diligence and responsibility in the use of judicial processes.

Earlier in the proceedings, General Danjuma’s legal team, led by Tayo Oyatibo, SAN, had demanded a public retraction and apology, as well as ₦1 billion in damages, arguing that the publication damaged Danjuma’s reputation and adversely affected his national and international standing.

Pastor Rika and HOREMOW consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that the book was a faith-based, divinely inspired message directed at General Danjuma, the Kuteb people, and the indigenes of Taraba State, and not a malicious or defamatory attack.

The case had generated widespread debate around defamation, freedom of religious expression, and the boundaries of public criticism before its eventual withdrawal.