A Lagos High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, has ordered popular On-Air Personality (OAP) Toke Makinwa, to pay her ex-husband, fitness entrepreneur Maje Ayida N1 million for defamation.

In the suit filed before the court, Maje Ayida had alleged that his estranged wife is obsessed with social media and fame and had published a book, “On Becoming” which she purported to be a biography of her life so far.

Publishers of the book, Kachifo Ltd has joined as second defendant in the suit.

Toke Makinwa who married Maje Ayida on January 15, 2014, divorced on grounds of adultery on October 5, 2017.

She went on to release her memoir ‘On Becoming’ in November 2016. The book detailed her personal struggles and addresses the betrayal of her ex-husband.

Maje said Toke made several defamatory statements against him, including words which suggested that he was:

 a) a cold-hearted husband

b) a serial ‘cheat’

c) not fit and proper to work within the Health and Wellness Industry, or any related industry, having recklessly infected her with an STI

(d) was and had been a carrier of venereal or sexually transmitted disease or diseases amongst other things.

Ayida therefore demanded a retraction of the defamatory contents of the book, an unreserved apology and a withdrawal from circulation of all copies of the book.

He also made a monetary claim of the sum of N100, 000, 000. 00 against the defendants for what he called aggravated and/or exemplary damages.

In the judgment passed by Justice Olukayode Ogunjobi, he said “after careful consideration of the evidence before the court, it finds that only the contents of page 54 line 11-16 and page 83, Line 1 of Toke Makinwa’s book were Defamatory.

According to the judgement pronounced, “Makinwa is given 30 days to delete the defamatory words from unsold copies of the book in her custody as well as those with her publisher, Kachifo Limited.

“Damages in the sum of 500,000 Naira is to be paid by the 1st and 2nd defendants, Makinwa & Kachifo Ltd, to any charity organization of the claimants choice as granted by the court.

 “The court also granted an injunction preventing the defendants from producing copies of the book with the defamatory words”.