Nnamdi Kanu files N20bn ‘defamation’ suit against police spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), has filed a suit against Olumuyiwa Adejobi, spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), over allegations of defamation.

Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s lawyer, filed the suit on Tuesday at a federal capital territory (FCT) high court.

Kanu is accusing Adejobi of portraying him as a terrorist leader in a press statement issued on January 25.

In the said statement, the police spokesperson described IPOB as “a proscribed terrorist organisation”.

He had also stated that operatives of the Imo police command neutralised six “notorious kingpins” belonging to the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and IPOB.

Kanu, in his suit, averred that “the defamatory statements read by his brother and circle of friends in Abuja and Nigeria at large were false and constitute a grave libel on his person, as the words in their natural and ordinary meaning portrayed him as a leader of a violent and terrorist group”.

“That the defendant’s libellous publications and utterances were circulated and read by millions of people around the world, particularly in Abuja and Nigeria, where the claimant has many friends, family, colleagues, admirers, mentees, well-wishers, and millions of followers and cases pending in court in which terrorism is at issue,” the suit reads.

“That the defendant’s libellous publications and utterances have seriously injured the claimant’s character, credit, reputation, and integrity and resulted in significant prejudice against the claimant regarding his cases pending in court in Abuja and elsewhere in Nigeria.”

Kanu sought an order from the court “directing the defendant to retract the said publications through another publication through the same media by way of issuance of another press statement”.

“An order of the 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 three (3) national dailies, namely: the SUN, Daily Trust, and Vanguard,” the suit added.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from further and forever uttering the said defamatory and libellous words about or concerning the claimant.”

The IPoB leader further prayed the court to issue an order directing the defendant to pay him N20 billion as general and exemplary damages.

He also sought an order of the court directing the defendant to pay the cost of the suit.