A United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, December 21 ordered Mr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to provide “full and complete responses to defendant’s interrogatories”.
Mr. Wabote (Plaintiff), had sued Mr. Jackson Ude (Defendant), an international award-winning journalist famed for investigative journalism in a US court for defamation of character. According to him, Mr. Ude through his online publication, Pointblanknews.com, had defamed his character vide a story in which it was inferred that he financially compromised his position and abused the privileges of his office as Executive Secretary of the NCDMB in the build up to the launch of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7.
The case, number 5:21-cv-02214-JFL. was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on May 17, according to court papers. Both parties have since made presentations before the court.
However, on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 after hours of intense argument and counter-argument taken virtually, the court ordered Wabote to provide answers to several interrogatories raised by the defendant.
The court in its Order signed by United States District Judge, Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., and dated December 21, 2021 declared that: “Within twenty days from this Order, Plaintiff (Wabote) shall provide full and complete responses to Defendant’s interrogatories 1–5, which are attached as Exhibit F to Defendant’s letter and dated November 30, 2021.
“Within twenty days from this Order, Plaintiff shall provide Defendant with all of the requested documents to Defendant’s Second Request for Production of Documents numbered 1–9, which are attached as Exhibit G to Defendant’s letter and dated November 30, 2021.
“Within twenty days from this Order, Plaintiff shall provide Defendant with fully unredacted (Unedited) versions of the bank statements he has already provided.”
Some of the interrogatories as contained in the defendant’s request filed before the court include that Wabote should “identify and clearly state all and every bank, no matter where located, where you have maintained any bank account from 2010 to the present, whether still in operation or closed.
“Identify any and all your bank account numbers and the names and addresses of the banks involved, no matter where located in 2010 to the present;” and
“Identify any and all third parties that perform works for the NCDMB and your relationship with them.”
It will be recalled that the same court had earlier subpoenaed President Muhammadu Buhari through the Office of Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari on this case.
Attorney to Mr. Ude from Amadi Law Office at 204 Blossom Street Extension, Suite A. Lynn MA 01901, Barr. Beneth O. Amadi, in entering appearance for the journalist convinced the court to subpoena President Buhari to explain to the court why and if he granted Mr. Wabote waiver to operate foreign bank accounts described by the court as “any account operated outside the borders of Nigeria.”
One of the items for which the President was subpoenaed was to produce “any, every, and all the documents fully and specifically explaining why plaintiff, Simbi Wabote, is allowed by the Nigerian government to operate foreign bank accounts while the other public officials and public officers are prevented and/or forbidden from opening and/or operating foreign bank accounts.”
The court also extended subpoena dated December 7, 2021 to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, among others.
