The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 granted an order for substituted service of all originating court processes on the defendants in the defamation suit filed by the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya (rtd).
According to the court order, the Court Bailiff is mandated to serve the defendants through publication of the processes in a national newspaper circulating within the FCT, as well as by pasting the documents at their last known addresses.
The defendants in the suit include retired Major General Danjma Hamisu Ali-Keffi, (rtd), ARISE News Broadcasting, and Sahara Reporters.
When contacted, lead counsel to General Yahaya, Mohammed Ndayako, SAN, confirmed the court order granted on March 17, 2026.
He stated that the order became necessary due to the defendants’ repeated evasion of service by the Court Bailiff. In particular, he noted that Major General Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi (rtd) declined to acknowledge service at his post-retirement residence in Kurudu, Abuja, as recorded in his service records with the Nigerian Army.
