HOW OKOROJI SHARED THE =N=200,000 HE COLLECTED FROM EFE OMOROGBE

EXCLUSIVE!!!

HOW OKOROJI SHARED THE =N=200,000 HE COLLECTED FROM EFE OMOROGBE

It will be recalled that Justice Josephine  Oyefeso of the High Court of Lagos State in Ikeja, last year ordered Artiste Manager, Efe Omorogbe of Now Muzik to pay COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji a total of =N=200,000.00 as cost for truncating  trial in two undefended defamation cases brought by Chief Okoroji against Omorogbe. Just as the trials were about to begin in Justice Oyefeso’s court, Omorogbe’s lawyer rushed to court to beg the judge to suspend the trial so that Omorogbe could file defence to the suits.

For over 9 months, Mr. Omorogbe struggled, failed or neglected to pay the money prompting Okoroji’s lawyers to write to him warning him that if he did not pay the money within two weeks, Garnishee proceedings would be commenced to levy execution on Omorogbe’s property over the debt. As a result, Efe Omorogbe rushed to pay the sum of =N=200,000.00 to the account of Whitedove Solicitors, lawyers to Chief Tony Okoroji.

Unknown to many, the =N=200,000.00 was treated as war bounty at COSON House and Okoroji’s TOPS Ltd, both in Ikeja and among Chief Okoroji’s friends and relations. To many of Okoroji’s people, the money was seen as appetizer in what they consider to be the fruits of a main dish of damages to come as a price for  Omorogbe’s audacity to organize a failed ‘coup’ against the man considered by many to be his mentor and friend and the attempt to widely rubbish the name and character of the most respected former president of PMAN.

Tony Okoroji, the master of copyright royalty distribution, took the position that the money did not belong to him but to the many people who have stood by him in the war declared against him by the Efe Omorogbe led gang.

A source close to Chief Okoroji says that over one hundred people got a share of the Efe Omorogbe ‘loot’. Among those said to have got a piece of the action are Okoroji’s wife, his driver and housekeeper and every member of the COSON Board. On the day the members of the COSON staff got their share of the money, there was wide jubilation at COSON House. In unison, they thundered out the COSON mantra, “let the music pay!” Thereafter, some of the staff spent their money on recharge cards, others on pepper soup and drinks. At Okoroji’s TOPS Ltd, the scene was repeated. We are also informed that several of Okoroji’s close friends such as Patrick Doyle and his fiery lawyer and friend, Mr. James Ononiwu, did not miss out in the bonanza.

Said our source, “you will be surprised that some journalists got their own share of the money and so did some staff of the NCC who are pretending to be fighting Chief Tony Okoroji. ‘Presido’ did not spend one naira of the money on himself. I am not sure that he is interested in Efe Omorogbe’s money. I believe he just wants Efe Omorogbe to learn a bitter lesson”.

P.M Walker for TOPS

Culled from dailynewscover.com

NCC’S OBI EZEILO LOSES ROUND ONE IN 100 MILLION NAIRA SLANDER ACTION FILED BY OKOROJI

A Lagos High Court Judge, Mr. Justice A.M. Lawal this Monday, January 13, 2020, bluntly told Mr. Obi Ezeilo, a senior official of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), that he cannot use any lawyer in the employ of the Nigerian Copyright Commission to defend himself in the =N=100 Million slander action brought against him by Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON).

Mr. Ezeilo who is a lawyer, had announced himself and one Abiola Adekunle, another lawyer employed by the Nigerian Copyright Commission as representing him in the SUIT NO ID/ADR/2389/2019 in which Chief Okoroji has asked the court for an order mandating Ezeilo to retract the “false and slanderous” statements made by him against Chief Okoroji on October 25, 2018 and issue an apology to Chief Okoroji prominently published in four (4) recognized national daily newspapers. Chief Tony Okoroji has also asked for General Damages for slander in the sum of N100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) and a perpetual injunction restraining Mr. Ezeilo, Ezeilo’s servants, privies or agents or otherwise called, from further uttering or publishing or causing to be published the said words or any words defamatory of Chief Okoroji.

Reacting to Ezeilo’s announcement of his legal team, lawyer to Chief Tony Okoroji, Mr. Omo-Elo Akokaike protested vehemently and told the court that while Mr. Ezeilo may defend himself in the matter in which he is sued in his personal capacity, he cannot engage the services of lawyers under the employ of the Nigerian Copyright Commission and paid by the Federal Government to defend himself. He insisted that what Mr. Ezeilo was trying to do was unknown to law and legal practice in Nigeria.

Despite what turned out to be a prolonged and hot argument by Mr. Ezeilo that he is Head of Prosecution at the Nigerian Copyright Commission and that at the relevant time he was acting in his official capacity, Justice Lawal sided with Chief Okoroji’s lawyer and determined that Ezeilo had been brought to court in his personal capacity and that he cannot use any government lawyer to defend himself.

The Judge adjourned the matter to March 7 to deal with any pending applications while immediately sending the case to the ADR Track for possible resolution before the adjourned date.

Present in court were Chief Tony Okoroji and renowned COSON Lawyer, Mr. James Ononiwu of Whitedove Solicitors.