Police, DSS ordered to seize Obasanjo’s new book, “My Watch”

The police and the DSS have been directed to seize the newly published books of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, My Watch. The directive was given on Wednesday by a Federal Capital Territory High Court judge, Justice Valentine Ashi.

According to Justice Ashi, the publication of the book, which was launched on Tuesday in Lagos, contravened the order of the court restraining the publication.

The judge also gave Obasanjo 21 days within which to explain why he should not be punished for flouting the court order.

The judge’s words:

 “I hold the defendant not only in contempt of the court, but to show cause why he should not be punished for contempt and ordered to undo what he has wrongly done. 

“The defendant, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, shall be given 21 days, from the day this order is served on him, to show cause, via affidavit, why he should not be punished for contempt committed by publishing and distributing for sale to the public, the book, My Watch, in plain disregard of the pendency of substantive suit and the order of this court made on December 5, 2014 restraining him from doing so. 

“The defendant, whether by himself, agents, servants, privies or whatever name called, is hereby restrained from further publication or offering for sale or distribution, in any way or manner, the book called My Watch or the like of the visual or written materials which contains a re-publication or statement extracted from the letter referred to by the plaintiff.”

The court had on December 5 restrained Obasanjo from going ahead with the publication pending the determination of the N20bn libel suit instituted against him by the Chairman, Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West, Mr. Buruji Kashamu.

Kashamu’s lawyer, Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN), had argued that the former president should be stopped from publishing the book since the content related to the subject matter of the libel suit.

The content of the book was said to be related to a letter dated December 2, 2013 written by Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan, in which Obasanjo described Kashamu as a fugitive wanted for drug offences in the United States of America.

Check out some of the content: Obasanjo opens hot secrets in new book, “My Watch”