Wale Igbintade
A former Director-Common of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Security Company (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi, has given the Integrated Trustees, Worldwide Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), a seven-day ultimatum to retract an alleged defamatory publication made in opposition to him.
The offensive publication, in accordance with Akpobolokemi’s counsel, Eric Omare, was printed on April 13, 2024, titled: “The Hidden Fact That Led to Killing of 17 Troopers in Okuama Neighborhood”.
In a letter dated April 18,2024 written by his lawyer, the previous NIMASA DG mentioned ICIR should tender an unreserved apology and publish similar in three nationwide newspapers together with its web site (ICIR web site) for seven consecutive days, inside one week of the receipt of the letter.
He additional acknowledged that replicate of the mentioned apology should be despatched to his lawyer for approval earlier than publication.
Akpobolokemi additionally threatened to slam a N100 billion swimsuit in opposition to the net media home as damages for the defamatory feedback if it fails to adjust to the demand.
The letter was titled: “False, malicious and defamatory publication in opposition to the particular person of Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi: demand for retraction and public apology”.
Omare acknowledged that the allegation that Akpobolokemi was concerned in dictating deployment of navy officers within the creeks of the Niger Delta area, which led to the grotesque homicide of navy officers at Okuama neighborhood was not solely false, however malicious, inciting, defamatory and unjustifiable.
The letter learn: “By your aforesaid publication, you falsely, maliciously and unjustifiably accused and branded our consumer as the one that constructed a white home on a disputed land and illegally, with out authority, working alone or with Tompolo influenced and dictated the deployment of navy officers to Okuama neighborhood for unlawful goal. You claimed that this led to the grotesque homicide of the 17 Troopers in Okuama neighborhood on the sixteenth day of March, 2024.
“The content material of your publication was dropped at the eye of our consumer by his buddies, enterprise associates, kinsmen, admirers, conventional and political from throughout Nigeria and overseas and he has been inundated with calls as much as the time of penning this letter.
“Your publication, which means that our consumer’s unlawful actions in dictating deployment of navy officers within the creeks of the Niger Delta area finally led to their grotesque homicide at Okuama Neighborhood is just not solely false, however malicious, inciting, defamatory and unjustifiable.
“Our consumer was by no means concerned within the motion or deployment of troopers that had been murdered at Okuama Neighborhood on the sixteenth of March, 2024 or every other date in any respect. Our consumer didn’t affect or dictate the deployment of Troopers to Okuama Neighborhood to analyze the kidnap and launch of Anthony Aboh or every other particular person kidnapped within the inter-communal disaster between Okuama and Okoloba Communities in Delta State or elsewhere as you falsely and unjustifiably printed.
“Our consumer is a non-public citizen and never a member of the Armed Forces with energy to dictate or deploy troopers or any personnel of the navy or paramilitary or in any respect.
“We’ve got the directions of Our consumer to additional state that late Anthony Aboh was not his ally and he didn’t construct a white home on a disputed land at Okuama Neighborhood or elsewhere as you falsely claimed.
“Our consumer, who was a former Director Common of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Security Company (NIMASA), has by no means been convicted of an offence by any court docket of regulation in Nigeria or elsewhere. He’s a law-abiding citizen and has all the time lived inside the confines of the legal guidelines of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and has by no means been concerned within the unlawful deployment of troopers or engaged in supremacy battle over the management of the creeks of the Niger Delta area at any time in his life.
Our consumer has, over the previous many years promoted the rule of regulation in Nigeria in each his private and non-private actions and has not been discovered wanting in that regard.
“By motive of your false, malicious and defamatory publication, our consumer has been uncovered to ridicule and public opprobrium and he’s now seen as being concerned within the premature, unlucky and grotesque homicide of 17 navy officers via their unlawful deployment to Okuama neighborhood.
“Our consumer state that take into account the large readership of your aforesaid false and libellous publication, his particular person. and enterprise fame has been critically injured.
“Consequently, and with out prejudice to our consumer’s proper to hunt authorized redress underneath the related legal guidelines, now we have his directions to demand from you rapid retraction of your false and libellous publication and a public apology to be printed in three nationwide newspapers together with within the web site for seven consecutive days, inside one week of the receipt of this letter.
“Copy of the mentioned apology should be despatched to us for approval earlier than publication. Take discover that ought to you fail to adjust to the demand to retract the false, libellous publication and tender a public apology to our consumer inside one week of receipt of this letter, our consumer would haven’t any choice than to hunt authorized redress in opposition to you, the ICIR and its Trustees individually and collectively in court docket to guard his hard-earned fame and shall be asking for punitive and exemplary damages within the sum of N100billion.”