IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu has dragged Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari to Enugu State High Court.
Kanu is seeking N100 billion damages over a social media post Ahmad made which he called libelous and damaging to his reputation.
The issue started when Ahmad posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “Anybody advocating for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, a terrorist and the leader of the proscribed terrorist organisation IPOB should be considered a enemy of this country.”
Kanu said the remark is libelous and an attack on his character.
In response Kanu’s legal team led by Aloy Ejimakor filed a lawsuit demanding an apology and compensation.
The demands are:
A declaration by the court that Ahmad’s statement calling Kanu a terrorist is defamatory.
A public retraction of the statement through the same media platforms (X, Talkofnaija.com, and Phoenix Browser) where the comments were published.
A written and unreserved letter of apology to Kanu to be published in three major Nigerian newspapers: The Sun, Daily Trust and The Guardian.
Perpetual injunction against Ahmad from making further defamatory statement against Kanu.
N100 billion as general and exemplary damages.
Full cost of all legal expenses incurred by Kanu in the suit.
The suit has a 42 days timeline for Ahmad to respond. Failure to do so will be taken as a default judgment.
This has generated public debate, some see it as a way to address harmful speech and protect individual rights while others see it as another IPOB and Kanu issue.
This is a bigger issue of public speech in Nigeria where social media comments can have serious legal and reputational implications.
We shall see how this plays out as it could be a test case for defamation suits involving big men and online platforms.