The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court No. 2 in Abuja has ordered substituted service of court processes in a defamation suit filed by former Chief of Army Staff, Faruk Yahaya, against retired Major General Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi, ARISE News, and Sahara Reporters.
The order, granted on March 17, 2026, directs that all originating court processes be served on the defendants through publication in a national newspaper circulating within the FCT, as well as by pasting the documents at their last known addresses.
Lead counsel to Yahaya, Mohammed Ndayako, confirmed the development, stating that the application for substituted service became necessary after repeated unsuccessful attempts by the court bailiff to serve the defendants.
He alleged that Ali-Keffi declined to acknowledge receipt of the court documents at his post-retirement residence in Kurudu, Abuja, as indicated in his service records with the Nigerian Army.
The case is part of an ongoing legal dispute in which Yahaya is seeking redress over alleged defamatory claims.
