Yoruba activist Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, has filed a case against the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, alleging character defamation.
According to reports, Adams recently said in a leaked audio chat that Igboho is an assassin whom President Bola Tinubu is supposedly using for dirty operations.
He also claimed that unsubstantiated information linked him to the assassination of the late Bola Ige, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, who was assassinated by gunmen on December 23, 2001, at his Bodija mansion in Ibadan.
In suit I/406/2024 filed before an Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, Igboho seeks an order ordering the defendant to pay N500 million in aggravated damages for the leaked audio chat, which he claims harmed his reputation.
According to the writ of summons made accessible to the press in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, on Thursday, Igboho is seeking, among other things, “a declaration that the content of an audio clip between the defendant (Adams) and a third party named Nuru Banjo that took place sometime in November 2021 and was further published on all new media platforms, including Youtube, is slanderous, libelous, and defamatory.
“A declaration that it is unlawful, inappropriate, and inexcusable for the defendant to defame, disparage, and put to disrepute the character and reputation of the claimant (Igboho) in an audio clip published on all news media platforms, including Youtube, in a publication that took place between the defendant and a third party, Nuru Banjo, sometime in November 2021 or thereabout.
“An order of this court directing the defendant to publicly retract the slanderous, libelous, and defamatory content contained in the publication to Nuru Banjo, which was further published on all news media platforms, including Youtube, where the claimant was defamed, maligned, and disparaged by the defendant in the conversation published in November 2021 by the defendant.
“An order of this court directing the defendant to engage all news media platforms, including YouTube, to take down the slanderous, libelous, and defamatory content against the claimant.
“An order of this court directing the defendant to tender an unreserved apology to the claimant in five national newspapers in Nigeria over defamatory content against the claimant by the defendant, which has been published on all news media platforms, including YouTube.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agent, privies, or assignees from further embarrassingly degrading or defaming the person of the claimant.
“An order of this court for the payment of exemplary and aggravated damages in the sum of N500m in favor of the claimant for defamation of the person of the claimant by the defendant. Cost of litigation put at the sum of N10m.”
