A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has fixed a hearing for October 8 in a motion filed by former minister of special duties and inter-governmental affairs, Kabiru Turaki to stop a former acquaintance, Uwani Arabi and two others from further making any form of publications about a paternity dispute between them.

Justice Aliyu Shafa of the High Court of the FCT in Nyanyan fixed the date on Tuesday after declining to hear a motion ex-parte filed by the ex-minister in which he sought a similar prayer.

Turaki, in the suit, marked: CV/189/2024 accused Arabi, her ex-husband, Musa Baffa and her daughter, Hadiza of defaming him by raising allegations of sexual impropriety against him to the extent of claiming he fathered a child through Hadiza.

When the case was called on Tuesday, Turaki?s lawyer, Kalat Jatau told the court that although the case was coming up for the first time, his client has a pending motion ex-parte.

Upon the information from Jatau, Justice Shafa said he had read the motion ex-parte and was not inclined to grant the interim restraining injunction sought in the motion.

He directed the claimant to represent his prayer through a motion on notice to allow the defendants to respond.

At that point, Jatau informed the court that his client had also filed a motion on notice containing a similar prayer.

He however said the fresh motion was not yet served on the defendants.

Justice Shafa then ordered Jatau to serve the motion on notice on the defendants through their lawyer, Sani Idris, who was in court.

With the service effected, Justice Shafa adjourned the hearing on the motion till October 8.

In a supporting affidavit, Turaki stated that the interim restraining order was necessary to stop the defendants from further spreading false information against him during the pendency of the substantive suit.

Turaki, who is claiming damages in several millions of naira against the defendants, said he was a benefactor to Arabi and Hadiza because he took responsibility for paying her fees while she schooled at Baze University, Abuja, and assisted her mother too financially.

He denied allegations of sexual impropriety allegedly raised against him by the defendants, stating that he only fell out with the mother and daughter because he stopped Hadiza from further visiting him when her alleged criminal acts became unbearable for him.

In their joint statement of defence, the defendants denied defaming the ex-minister, insisting that he was the one who volunteered to sponsor Hadiza?s university education.

They also denied that Hadiza was involved in some criminal acts, alleging that the ex-minister took advantage of her by sleeping with her until she became pregnant.

The defendants stated that ?none of them made slanderous allegation or defamed the character of the claimant but rather, it was the claimant that slandered and defamed the reputable name of their family by breaching the trust of their family.?

They claimed that the claimant ?is a frustrating investigation into the matter, more especially when it came to his knowledge that the only way to know the truth of the matter it is by conducting DNA test.

?The defendants aver that the Investigation Police Officers are of the same opinion that since it is a matter that involves paternity of a baby girl, only a DNA Test can resolve the issue between the claimant and the defendants.

?The defendants, at the trial of this suit, will rely on all the voice messages, conversation, WhatsApp chats, medical reports, and any other documents closely or remotely related to this case.?

Meanwhile, a similar case, also filed by Turaki, which ought to come up before an Upper Area Court in Kado, Abuja on Wednesday, has been adjourned till October 17 for the hearing of the motion on notice by the claimant to restrain the l police from accepting Hadiza?s complaint.

The court is also around hearing the defendants? preliminary objection against the substantive suit, till October 2.

Listed as defendants in the suit marked: CV/35/2024 are Baffa, Hadiza, Arabi (mother), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the IGP, DIG Sylvester Alabi (DIG Force CID), AIG Muhammad Dan Kwara (Force CID), CP Musbahu Ajani (CP Admin, Force CID), CSP Mohammed Gashua and SP Ibrahim Shugaba. (The Nation)

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