Abiola’s widow sues IGP, demands N100bn damages for ‘defamation’

Zainab-Duke Abiola, a widow of the late MKO Abiola, has instituted a N100 billion defamation suit against the Nigeria police and the inspector-general, Usman Baba.

The police had in September 2022, arrested Zainab and her domestic staff for allegedly brutalising her orderly, Teju Moses.

They were arraigned before a magistrate court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja for the offenses of “criminal conspiracy, causing criminal hurt without provocation, attempt to commit culpable homicide & intentional insult to cause a breach of trust”.

However, in the suit marked FHC/CS/ABJ/CS/2370/2022 and filed before a federal high court in Abuja, Zainab alleged that the police framed her.

“Such an incident never took place in my house as there are CCTV cameras all over the street surroundings to debunk the claim,” she said.

“Contrary to the allegations, I have never asked the former orderly to carry out any domestic chores as sophisticated robot machines like Alexa are installed in the palace.

“I was never a suspect but a victim of a frame-up by the defendants.”

Apart from the police and the IGP, other defendants listed are one engineer Ibrahim who Zainab claimed is an adopted son of the IGP, and Teju Moses

Zainab submitted that she never assaulted Moses rather, she (Zainab) was “abducted and tortured during the unholy hours of the night with a nightgown” before she was arraigned by the police.

The plaintiff added that the manner she was treated by the defendants was not only derogatory and amounted to an abrogation of her rights and esteem personality, but it also caused her great pain and suffering.

She told the court that the incident caused her “much damage, trauma, and ill-health, reducing her standing and recognition in the global community”.

“The plaintiff states further that acts of the defendants are libelous, scandalous, slanderous and defamatory by calling her unprintable names both in conventional and social media,” the statement of claim reads.

Specifically, the plaintiff is praying for an order of the court, “directing the defendants to issue a press statement retracting the assertions they made earlier”.

“An order of court directing the defendants to pay the plaintiffs the sum of N100billion as damages for the defamation, shame, ridicule, harassment, trauma, humiliation and public embarrassment suffered by the plaintiffs.

“An order of the court directing the defendants to pay the sum of N100m as the cost of this suit.

“An order of this court directing the defendants to pay the sum of N1bn as general damages.

As well as, “An award of 10 per cent interest on the judgment sum from the date of judgment until final liquidation of the judgment.’’