This document outlines several defenses to defamation claims, including: 1. Justification or truth - if the defamatory statement was substantially true, it is a valid defense. 2. Fair comment - a comment or opinion expressed in the public interest that does not state actual facts about the plaintiff. 3. Privilege - statements made in certain contexts, such as in court, are protected. There are absolute privileges, like for legislators performing official duties, and qualified privileges, like for accurate news reports.

1. DEFENCES TO
DEFAMATION

2. 1. Justification or truth
If the publication complained about
is true, entirely or even
substantially, it can form a solid
defence to defamation. But the
onus is
on the defendant who pleads
justification to prove that the
publication is
true.

3. 2. Fair Comment
It is also a defence against
defamation if the defendant can
prove that the
publication complained about is
a fair comment made in the
interest of
the public.

4. For a comment to be “fair
comment” it
must satisfy the following
conditions.
1. The matter commented on must
be of public interest.
2. The matter commented on must
be an expression of opinion by
the defendant and not an assertion
of fact by him.
3. The comment on the plaintiff

5. 3. Privilege
Privilege means a benefit or
immunity enjoyed by someone
or a class of
people which does not apply to
the general public.

6. In communication,
privilege is the freedom enjoyed
in certain circumstances
whereby
statements can be made
without the bogey of an action
of defamation.

7. As a defence against
defamation privilege is in two
kinds: absolute and
qualified privilege.

8. (a) Absolute Privilege
Absolute privilege is the
unhindered liberty to make
statements
orally or in written form to the
extent that anyone who feels that
he has been defamed by the
statement cannot seek redress in a
law court, nor can the court
entertain such as action. This is
regardless of whether the

9. Those who enjoy absolute privilege in the courts of their
official
duties include the Head of State, governors, High Court
judges,
magistrates, even lawyers and witnesses, legislators. Thus
no
action can be brought against any of the above mentioned
if they
defame any one in the course of their official duties. Also,
communication between husband and wife enjoys absolute
privilege.

10. (b) Qualified Privilege
There is qualified privilege to make
defamatory statements when
the person who makes it has a duty, legal,
social or moral, to
make it and the person to whom it is made
has a duty, legal,
social or moral, to receive it. However, the
statement must have
been made honestly and without malice.
For, malice defeats
privilege.

11. Qualified Privileges of
Newspapers

12. newspaper reports enjoy qualified privilege if they
satisfy the
following criteria.
 They are fair and accurate reports of
legislative proceedings.
 They are fair and accurate reports of the public
proceedings of the conference of an
international organization of which Nigeria or
any of its states is a member.
 They are fair and accurate reports of any
public proceedings of an international court.

13. newspaper reports enjoy qualified privilege if they
satisfy the
following criteria.
 They are fair and accurate reports of any
proceedings in public of a body or person
appointed to hold a public enquiry by the
government or legislature of any part of the
Commonwealth outside Nigeria.
 They are fair accurate reports of any reports of
any proceedings before a court exercising
jurisdiction throughout any part of the
Commonwealth outside Nigeria under the
Nigerian Army Act 1990 or the Nigerian Navy Act,
1990.

14. newspaper reports enjoy qualified privilege if they
satisfy the
following criteria.
 They are fair and accurate copies or extracts
from any register kept in pursuance of any law
or Act which is open to inspection by the public
or any other document which is required by
any law or Act to be open to inspection by the
public.
 Notice of advertisement published by or on the
authority of a court within Nigeria or office of
such court.

15. If a person willingly invites the
press to cover his function or he
grants
an interview on his own volition,
then the press can plead consent if
the
person turns round to bring an
action of defamation. However, if
the
publication goes beyond the limit of
the initial approval, there may be

16. 5. Death of the Plaintiff
If the person allegedly defamed
is dead, it will be difficult to
sustain the
action because reputation is a
personal possession and only
the owner of
the reputation can sue for it.

17. 6. Res Judicata
If a case of defamation has
been tried, lost and won, it will
be a waste of
time to file a fresh action on the
same matter. Res judicata is to
say that
the case has come to a logical
end and had died a natural
death.

18. 7. Accord and Satisfaction
It shall be a defence to
defamation if there is a mutual
settlement
between the two parties to the
satisfaction of both of them.

19. The person circulating the offensive
matter can plead that he is ignorant
of what he is disseminating and
should therefore be excluded from
any
legal action. The plaintiff and the
court usually exonerates this
category
of persons especially in view of the
fact that they cannot pay any
damages should the case be