Abuja Court Quashes Defamation Suit Against Lizzy Anjorin

Nollywood actress and entrepreneur Elizabeth Aishat Anjorin, popularly known as Lizzy Anjorin, has secured a significant legal victory in the Federal Capital Territory. A Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja recently struck out a direct criminal complaint filed against her and co-defendant Shakira Ayobami, citing a litany of procedural blunders and a lack of jurisdiction. The ruling effectively ends a legal skirmish that had added another layer of drama to the actress’s already high-profile public life.

The case, marked CR/25/2025, was initiated by Audullahi Adebimpe Mosadoluwa, the wife of Lagos-based property developer “Ibile.” Mosadoluwa had accused the defendants of criminal defamation and conduct likely to breach public peace, alleging the publication of malicious statements. However, the legal foundation of the complaint began to crumble when Magistrate Sunday A.A. Adukwu upheld a preliminary objection raised by Anjorin’s legal team, led by A.U.E. Ogboi.

In a decisive ruling delivered on February 4, 2026, Magistrate Adukwu highlighted that the complaint was “absolutely incompetent on many fronts.” A primary fatal flaw was the violation of Section 89(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015. The court noted that the law strictly requires a complainant to file a single offence per criminal complaint. By “bundling” multiple charges—including defamation and breach of peace—into a single filing, the complainant had bypassed mandatory legal procedures.

Geography also played a major role in the court’s decision to wash its hands of the matter. The magistrate observed that both the complainant and the defendants are permanent residents of Lagos State. Given that the alleged incidents and the parties involved had no substantial connection to the Federal Capital Territory, the Abuja court ruled it lacked the requisite jurisdiction to hear the case. Magistrate Adukwu described the filing in Abuja as an “abuse of court process” and a clear misunderstanding of criminal procedure.

The court’s frustration with the “gross procedural irregularities” was reflected in the financial penalty imposed. Beyond striking out the case, the magistrate ordered Mosadoluwa to pay ₦50,000 in costs to the defendants. The ruling emphasized that while courts can sometimes overlook minor slips in the interest of justice, they cannot condone a suit built on a “shaky foundation” and “irreconcilable loopholes.”

This victory comes as a relief to Anjorin, who has been embroiled in several legal battles over the past year, ranging from land disputes in Kwara to a high-decibel defamation feud with colleague Iyabo Ojo. In most of these instances, Anjorin has successfully argued that the cases were either procedurally defective or filed in the wrong jurisdictions as a form of “legal harassment.”

For the actress, the dismissal of the Mosadoluwa suit is more than just a legal win; it is a public vindication. Her legal team argued throughout the proceedings that the case was a distraction intended to damage her reputation rather than seek genuine justice. With the Abuja court’s decision, Anjorin continues her streak of navigating complex legal minefields relatively unscathed.

The dismissal serves as a stern reminder to litigants and legal practitioners about the strictness of the ACJA and the importance of jurisdictional boundaries. As the dust settles on this Abuja chapter, Anjorin appears ready to pivot back to her business interests and her career in the spotlight, likely with a renewed sense of legal confidence.