The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, has instituted a suit against the Executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption Network, Honourable Dino Melaye, claiming the sum of N10.2 billion over some alleged libelous publications contained in an Abuja-ased newspaper and the internet.
Adoke, in the suit filed by his counsel, Ahmed Raji, stated that Melaye and his organisation libelled him by causing the publication of a story entitled, ‘Group writes Jonathan over Adoke’s abuse of Power,’ in the Leadership Newspaper of April 12, 2013 and another article entitled ‘Anti-Corruption Network reminds President Jonathan he has yet to fire AGF Adoke,’ posted on the Sahara Reports’ website on April 11.
The police in another letter to Adoke’s counsel, however, stated that Melaye had refused to cooperate with them to investigate the allegations contained in Melaye’s petition.
Police authorities, in the letter dated May 17, advised the minister to sue for criminal libel, explaining that Melaye and his lawyers were frustrating efforts by the police to investigate the allegations.
According to court papers made available to the Nigerian Tribune, the justice minister sued Melaye over seven grave allegations contained in the publication and the posting by the online news site, which the minister described as false, defamatory and designed to tarnish his good name.
The justice minister also affirmed that the said publications painted him as a dishonourable person sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government, while also undermining his reputation to occupy public office within the federation.
The minister denied all the allegations contained in the publications and affirmed that he had incurred enormous cost in legal consultation, thereby making a claim of N10 billion against the defendants as damages for libel contained in the publications.
He is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents or privies from further publishing libelous stories about him.
The AGF is also seeking another N200 million as cost of litigation of the suit, which includes professional fees of the counsel engaged in the suit.
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