Court Dismisses Iyabo Ojo’s ₦1B Defamation Case Against Lizzy Anjorin Over Procedural Errors
A Lagos High Court in Osborne, Ikoyi, has thrown out a ₦1 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Nollywood star Iyabo Ojo against fellow actress Lizzy Anjorin, citing major procedural lapses in the case filing.
Justice Olabisi Akinlade, who presided over the matter, ruled that the suit was fundamentally flawed and therefore incompetent. The court also ordered Ojo’s lawyer, Olabimpe Ajegbomogun, to pay ₦500,000 in legal costs to Anjorin’s counsel, Ademola Olabiyi.
The lawsuit—marked LD/ADR/5292/2023—sought damages for alleged defamatory statements made by Anjorin. However, the defence argued that Ojo’s legal team failed to comply with the court’s mandatory pre-action protocols, a requirement under Lagos State’s civil procedure rules.
One critical issue was that the Form 01 Statement of Compliance, which must accompany any Writ of Summons, was not signed by Ojo’s counsel. In addition, the Writ itself reportedly failed to follow the prescribed court format and did not properly outline the reliefs being sought.
Olabiyi pointed out further irregularities, including multiple unsigned documents and the absence of a Certified True Copy (CTC) in the court record. A search conducted on April 2, 2024, revealed that the original Writ was unsigned, while the version presented later was merely an uncertified photocopy.
Ojo’s legal team attempted to argue that these were minor technical issues that could be corrected before the trial. They insisted that the Writ was signed and that any errors did not affect the merits of the case.
But Justice Akinlade disagreed. She maintained that an unsigned Writ at the time of filing is a fatal error that strips the court of the power to hear the case.
The judge concluded that the certified copy obtained by Anjorin’s legal team confirmed the procedural misstep—rendering the entire suit null and void.
