JUST IN: Sunday Igboho Sues Aare Onakakanfo Of Yorubaland, Gani Adams Over Alleged Defamation, Demands N500Million in Damages
Sunday Igboho, the prominent figure in the Yoruba Nation movement, has taken legal action against Iba Gani Adams, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, citing defamation of character.
Igboho, represented by his legal team led by J. A. Sanusi, lodged a lawsuit at the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, as per court documents obtained by SaharaReporters on Wednesday.
In the lawsuit, Igboho seeks redress for what he perceives as defamatory remarks made by Gani Adams, praying that the court grants compensation amounting to N500 million.
Among others, Igboho prayed for an order of the court “for the payment of exemplary and aggravated damages in the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira (N500,000,000.00) in favour of the Claimant for defamation of the person of the Claimant by the Defendant. Cost of litigation put at the sum of Ten Million Naira (N10,000,000.00).”
In an audio conversation from 2021, Igboho stated that Gani Adams had accused him of being a serial killer and an assassin for prominent politicians, including Bola Tinubu.
The document quoted Gani Adams as saying: “I was not against Igbobo until he became close to Tinubu. You know I get my information from different angles as Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland.
“He was with Lagos State Governor’s Chief of Staff, Tayo Ayinde yesternight from the information at my disposal. He left Tayo Ayinde around 2.45 am and you know Tinubu uses him (Tayo Ayinde) to coordinate criminal activities. He was compensated with the position of Chief of Staff.
“He was a former SSS (State Security Service) product. He was given money to recruit some criminals. Politicians use him (Sunday Igboho) to attack people…Tinubu will not show himself. He will call the line of the Chief of Staff.
“Tinubu gave them fifty million but Tayo Ayinde took five million out of the money. He gave Sunday forty-five million naira. Do not believe him, he said Tinubu should come and be President.
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“I do not know why people in the diaspora believed in him (Sunday Igboho). Do not believe him at all. He collects money everywhere as a politician. He is cunning and a fraud. He only uses social media to bring support to himself… Sunday asked the media to lie against me. He supports me openly and goes against me behind my back. Do not support him. He is unreliable.
“Tinubu already promised to give him a house in Lekki and N200 million. He is only an entertainer. Tinubu was using Sunday to get a ticket from Buhari. Tinubu is the one using Sunday. He is the most dangerous person in Oyo State.
“I am not talking of Lagos. If he sees money, there is no one he cannot kill. From the confirmed report, even though I am not sure, he was one of those who assassinated Bola Ige together with Fryo. He left Lagos 2:45 am after he collected 45,000,000 naira. Tinubu asked 10 million boys to join forces with Sunday to eliminate me….Sunday has countless murder cases where he was able to exonerate himself.
“Some of his boys are presently in prisons standing trial for different murder cases. Some of his boys were already sentenced to life imprisonment. He used political power to exonerate himself.”
In the meantime, Igboho has refuted the accusations, urging the court to deem the content of the audio clip as defamatory towards his reputation.
Igboho said it is “unlawful, inappropriate and inexcusable for the Defendant to defame, disparage and put to disrepute the character and reputation of the Claimant in an audio clip published on all new media platforms, including YouTube, in a publication that took place between the Defendant and a third party, Mr. Nuru Banjo, sometime in November 2021 or thereabouts”.
He asked for an order “of this honourable court directing the Defendant to publicly retract the slanderous, libelous and defamatory content contained in the publication to Nuru Banjo which was further published on all new media platforms including YouTube where the Claimant was defamed, maligned and disparaged by the Defendant in the conversation published in November 2021 by the Defendant”.
Igboho also prayed for an order of the court “directing the Defendant to engage all new media platforms, including YouTube, to take down the slanderous, libelous and defamatory content against the Claimant as said by the Defendant to a third party, Mr. Nuru Banjo, from their various new media platforms”.
It asked the court to direct “the Defendant to tender unreserved apology to the Claimant in five National Newspapers in Nigeria over defamatory content against the Claimant by the Defendant which has been published on all new media platforms, including YouTube”.
In addition, Igboho asked for an “order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant, his agent, privies or assigns from further scandalizing, assaulting, embarrassing, degrading or defaming the person of the Claimant”.
