A Nigerian court adjourned on Monday the government's NGN 5.3 trillion (US$ 44 billion) lawsuit against three tobacco firms until March to enable the prosecution to serve court papers on one of the defendants.

The Nigerian government has filed a lawsuit against British American Tobacco, Altria Group's Philip Morris unit and International Tobacco, saying they have illegally promoted underage smoking. The government is seeking damages for the anticipated burden that tobacco-related ailments will place on public health services among other things.
The case could not be officially opened because government lawyers said that Philip Morris had rejected court papers sent by courier, according to a report by Reuters. They asked for an adjournment to enable them to serve the company properly.
Judge Binta Murtala Nyako adjourned the case to 17 March. (pi)