By Adadainfo
The special counsel to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Barr Aloy Ejimakor, has written a Pre-Action Notice to Nigeria’s attorney general and minister of justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, over alleged defamation of Nnamdi Kanu’s character.
Ejimakor in the letter, dated Nov. 21, 2022, accused AGF Abubakar Malami of describing Kanu as someone who ‘jumped bail’ despite the acquittal of Kanu of the charge by an Abia State High Court on January 19th, 2022 in a suit filed by Ejimakor. The court ruled that Kanu was chased out of the country when he was on bail by security operatives in violation of his bail condition. The court also awarded damages against the federal government.
AGF Malami was quoted to have described Kanu, as published in the Vanguard of 27th October, 2022, as ‘someone jumping bail to international community’.
According to Ejimakor, the said publication, which went viral, was libellous.
Quoting him, “Your said libellous utterances were circulated and read by millions of people around the world, particularly in Abia State and Nigeria where our client has many friends, family, colleagues, admirers, mentees, well-wishers and millions of followers.
“Your said libellous publications have seriously injured our client’s character,
credit, reputation and integrity. You have by your defamatory actions brought
our client to scandal, contempt, odium, public humiliation and embarrassment
for which he is entitled to monetary damages, injunctive relief, apology,
among others.
“You were motivated by malice and wickedness with the intention to malign, intimidate and undermine our client’s reputation and person while portraying yourself as innocent in the lethal military invasion that has been condemned by a competent court of law in a subsisting judgment in which you were the losing party.”
Kanu is therefore seeking the sum of N20,000,000,000.00 as general
and exemplary damages, an unreserved personal letter of apology to be
published full-page in two Nigerian newspapers as well as AGF’s legal opinion to his employers that Kanu never jumped bail ‘in view of the 19th January 2022 judgment of the High Court of Abia State’.
AGF was given an option of settlement out of court, which he should notify Kanu’s counsel within three days from the day he received the petition. If the three days elapsed, according to Ejimakor, ‘our client shall immediately commence legal proceedings against you’.
Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
