General T.Y Danjuma (rtd)
Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (retd.), has formally withdrawn a ₦1 billion defamation suit he filed against Pastor Paul Rika and Holiness Revival Ministry Worldwide (HOREMOW), bringing an end to a high-profile legal battle that attracted national and international attention.
The suit, instituted in September 2024 at the Lagos State High Court, stemmed from allegations that Pastor Rika and his ministry published defamatory content about Danjuma in a book titled “God’s Message to Kuteb Tribe and Indigenes of Taraba State.”
At the resumed hearing on Monday, January 12, 2026, before Justice J. O. Pedro, counsel to General Danjuma, Barrister Moses Agbede, filed a notice of discontinuance under Order 25, Rule 2 of the Lagos State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019, effectively withdrawing the case.
The development came as a surprise to many observers, given the prominence of the parties and the intensity with which the matter had been contested since its filing. Danjuma’s legal team, led by Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, had earlier demanded a public retraction, apology, and ₦1 billion in damages, claiming the publication harmed the former defence chief’s reputation and standing both locally and internationally.
Counsel to the defendants, Barristers Noel Ighota and George Agocha Ojeka, confirmed receipt of the notice of withdrawal and did not oppose it. However, they urged the court to award costs against the claimant, citing expenses already incurred by Pastor Rika and HOREMOW, including travel, accommodation, and logistics. The defence requested ₦10 million as costs.
In her ruling, Justice Pedro struck out the suit and awarded ₦250,000 in costs against General Danjuma in favour of the defendants. The judge also issued a stern warning, cautioning litigants and their lawyers against filing frivolous or ill-prepared cases before Nigerian courts.
Justice Pedro made the remarks while declining the claimant’s plea for a waiver of costs, stressing that the court’s rules clearly provide for costs to be awarded against a party who withdraws or discontinues a suit after the opposing party has incurred expenses.
Throughout the proceedings, Pastor Rika and HOREMOW consistently denied the allegations of defamation, maintaining during cross-examination that the book was a faith-based message they believed was divinely inspired, rather than a deliberate attempt to malign General Danjuma.
The case, filed at the Lagos State High Court, Commercial Division, had sparked widespread debate on freedom of religious expression, defamation, and the limits of public criticism, before its abrupt conclusion on Monday.
