Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has sued the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi, for alleged libelous media remarks.
Kanu, through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, filed the suit before the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, on Tuesday.
The IPOB leader claimed that a press statement by the Force PRO on January 25, was replete with defamatory and libelous contents against his person and the group led by him.
The suit quoted the libelous publication as saying that “Operatives of the Imo Police Command’s tactical unit have neutralised three notorious kingpins of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an armed wing of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
“The Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Abuja, ACP Olummiwa Adejobi, made the disclosure in a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday in Owerri.
“Adejobi said following credible intelligence, the police operatives located and launched a coordinated operation on the terrorists’ hideout in a forest within Ihube in Okigwe Local Government Area of the state on January 24.”
“The Force PRO said five AK-47 rifles, 552 rounds of live ammunition, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), several communication equipment, along with eight operational motorcycles used by the group, were recovered from the scene.
“According to him, prior investigations had revealed the involvement of the group in several high-profile crimes, including the attack on the Owerri Correctional Centre on April 5, 2021.
“Adejobi further hinted that the neutralised terrorists were involved in the killing of five policemen in Umunna, Okigwe, on December 2022, and the burning of Arondizuogu Police Station on February 8, 2022.”
Piqued by the contents of the publication, Kanu said that the defamatory statements were false and constituted 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.”
Kanu further claimed that he was portrayed “as an associate of violent criminals and and terrorists who allegedly engaged in terrorist acts in Imo State; an irresponsible and violent person that has no regards for the sanctity of human lives; and a person who does not deserve justice in his cases pending in court, bordering on whether the IPOB is a terrorist group or not.”
A copy of the suit made available to Ikengaonline read in part: “The said words in their natural and ordinary meaning were meant and were understood to mean that the Claimant is in fact a leader of a terrorist movement that is to be vicariously blamed for alleged acts of terrorism in Imo State.”
“That the words were meant to call into question the Claimant’s honesty, personal integrity and reputation; that the Claimant states that these defamatory and libelous statements go far beyond fair comment and are malicious and are designed specifically to impugn his person and character and they were made in bad faith.”
“That the Defendant’s libelous 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.
“That the Defendant’s libelous publications and utterances have seriously injured the Claimant’s character, credit, reputation and integrity; and resulted in significant prejudice against the Claimant in regard to his cases pending in Court in Abuja and elsewhere in Nigeria.”
Kanu prayed the court to direct the Defendant to retract the said publications through another publications through the same media by way of issuance of another press statement.
He also sought: “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.”
Other prayers by the IPOB leader include “AN ORDER of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant from further and forever uttering the said defamatory and libelous words about or concerning the Claimant; and an order 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.”
Kanu also sought “an order of the court directing the Defendant to pay the cost of this suit; and such further orders as the court might deem fit and expedient to make in the circumstance.”
Recall that Kanu has remained in a solitary confinement at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Service, DSS, since June 2021 following his abduction and extraordinary rendition from Kenya.
The IPOB leader who holds British citizenship, has been agitating for the restoration of the Biafra Republic for which Nigeria fought a civil war from 1967-1970.
