ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has sued Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation, over an alleged defamatory publication.
The IPOB leader, through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, said the AGF allegedly defamed Kanu when he claimed that the latter jumped bail, and had asked for N20bn for damages.
Ejimakor, who shared copies of the suit on his Twitter page on Tuesday, stated that Malami’s defamatory publication was injurious to Kanu’s pending cases.
The lawyer tweeted: “Last week, I filed a Suit against AGF Malami to stop him from making any further defamatory publication that Onyendu #MNK jumped bail. Such publication is highly prejudicial & injurious to MNK’s other cases pending in various courts. It has to stop!”
In the suit, dated 13 January, 2023, Kanu demanded compensation following alleged defamatory and libelous claims against him.
The claimant (Kanu) in the suit demanded, “a declaration of this Honorable Court that, in view of the said Judgment of Abia State High Court, the Defendant’s published statements or utterances to the effect that Claimant jumped bail, as published in the said Vanguard newspaper publication, are libelous and defamatory;
“An order of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to retract the said Vanguard newspaper publication through another press statement to the Vanguard newspaper;
“An order of this Honorable Court directing the Defendant to write and deliver to the Claimant, an unreserved letter of apology. The letter of apology shall be prominently and boldly published full-page in two Nigerian Newspapers of national circulation, namely: Guardian Newspaper and Sun Newspaper.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant from further and forever uttering the said defamatory and libelous words about or concerning the Claimant.
“An order of this Honorable Court directing the Defendant to pay to the Claimant the sum of N20,000,000,000.00 (Twenty Billion Naira only) being general and exemplary damages.”
In September, Ejimakor, on Kanu’s behalf, served a Legal Notice to Malami, notifying him of his (Ejimakor’s) intention to take legal action against him for his “defamatory and libelous statements that #MNK jumped bail.”