Lizzy Anjorin wins round one as court dismisses Iyabob Ojo’s ₦1 billion lawsuit

Femi Fabunmi

A Lagos High Court in Ikoyi has dismissed a ₦1 billion defamation case filed by Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo against fellow actress Lizzy Anjorin.

Justice Olabisi Akinlade, who handled the case, ruled that the lawsuit was invalid due to serious errors in how it was filed.

The judge also ordered Iyabo Ojo’s lawyer, Dr. Olabimpe Ajegbomogun, to pay ₦500,000 to Lizzy Anjorin’s lawyer, Barrister Ademola Olabiyi.

The case, with number LD/ADR/5292/2023, was filed by Ojo, who claimed that Anjorin had defamed her and demanded ₦1 billion in damages. However, Anjorin’s lawyer argued that Ojo’s legal team didn’t follow required court procedures.

One of the main issues was that a key legal form, meant to confirm that all pre-trial steps had been followed, was not signed by Ojo’s lawyer.

This made the entire suit invalid. The court also found that the Writ of Summons—the document officially starting the case—did not follow proper format and lacked clear details about what Ojo was asking for.

Anjorin’s lawyer further pointed out that the court file contained unsigned documents and no certified copies, raising doubts about their validity.

When the file was checked in April 2024, the original Writ was still unsigned, and the copy submitted by Ojo was just a regular photocopy, not a certified one.

Ojo’s lawyer argued that these were minor technical issues that could be fixed before the trial.

However, the judge disagreed, saying that the missing signature on the original Writ made the lawsuit invalid from the start.

As a result, the case was dismissed.