The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who is under incarceration by the Department of Security Service (DSS), on Thursday, dragged a critic and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, before an Enugu High Court over alleged defamation, demanding N50 billion general damages.

In a writ of summons with reference number E/1034/2025, dated 31st July, 2025 issued by the court as filed by Kanu’s Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor and 9 others, Kanu through an affidavit sworn by his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, is claiming “General damages in the sum of N50,000,000,000.00 (Fifty Billion Naira) for defamation, including injury to reputation, emotional distress, and prejudice to ongoing judicial proceedings”

According to the summons, Kanu is also claiming “Aggravated damages in the sum of N10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) for the malicious and reckless publication of false statements by the Defendant”, and “AN ORDER directing the Defendant (Omokri) to publish a full retraction of the defamatory statements in two national newspapers and on the Defendant’s Twitter/X account within 7 days of the court’s judgment”.

Kanu also asked for “AN ORDER directing the Defendant to publish a public apology to the Plaintiff in two national newspapers and on the Defendant’s Twitter/X account, admitting to the misrepresentation of facts” and “A PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Defendant his agents, privies, or assigns from further publishing or disseminating such defamatory or prejudicial statements about the Plaintiff without lawful justification”.

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Other prayers by the IPOB leader include payment of “Costs of this action, including legal fees and expenses incurred by the Plaintiff, Interest on all monetary awards at the rate of 10% per annum from the date of judgment until full payment”.

Kanu had approached the Court through his brother because “the Plaintiff being currently detained at the State Security Services in Abuja, is unable to make personal deposition in respect of this matter at the material time of filing this suit and has thus given me his consent and authority to depose to this Affidavit.”

The Defendant, the summons stated, “is the individual responsible for the defamatory publication, cause of action”, claiming “On or about 6/7/2025, I and the circle of friends of the Plaintiff read a publication made by the defendant on his verified Twitter (X) account https://x.com/renoomokri/status/1941731659499569534?t=6h u4 Wd77dIVIOALR9xc5w&s=19, wherein the Defendant defamed the Plaintiff” who “is a well-known public figure and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), an organization advocating for the self-determination of the its people within the contraption, Nigeria”.

According to the affidavit, “On or about 6/7/2025, the Defendant published or caused to be published, in his verified Twitter (X) account – https://x.com/renoomokri/status/1941731659499569534?t=6h Wd77dIVIOALR9xc5w&s=19 certain statements concerning the Plaintiff, falsely alleging that the Plaintiff and IPOB were responsible for the killing of soldiers, police officers, and other security personnel, as well as acts of violence attributed to so-called “Unknown Gunmen.”

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“The said publication is reproduced below in its original nature- “Do you know how many Nigerian soldiers, police officers, customs, immigration, and prison officers, as well as NSCDC servicemen and women, have been killed by IPOB, ESN, and Unknown Gunmen in the Southeast, of which the majority have been from Northern Nigeria?”

The said publication, Emmanuel Kanu said, “further described the Plaintiff Nnamdi Kanu) and IPOB as engaging in terrorist activities, including the operations of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), without lawful justification or evidence”, adding, “the said statements are false, baseless, prejudicial, and defamatory, as they portray the Plaintiff as a criminal and a terrorist, thereby injuring his reputation, character, exposing him to public hatred, contempt, ridicule, and prejudicing his ongoing judicial proceedings”.

The Plaintiff contended that “as of the date of the malicious statements (6/7/2025), nо court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria has convicted the Plaintiff of any offense involving the killing of security personnel or acts of terrorism, rendering the Defendant’s assertions factually incorrect and malicious”, and therefore that “The Defendant’s publication constitutes prejudicial commentary on the Plaintiff’s pending judicial proceedings, amounting to contempt of court and a violation of the Plaintiff’s right to a fair hearing and presumption of innocence under Section 36(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). 17.”

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The summons disclosed that the plaintiff, through his counsel, P.N Agazie Esq of P. N. Agazie & Co., issued a Pre-Action Notice dated 10/7/2025 to the Defendant, demanding: A retraction of the defamatory statements in two national newspapers and on the Defendant’s Twitter/X account, a public apology admitting to the misrepresentation of facts concerning the Plaintiff and a written undertaking to refrain from further defamatory or prejudicial publications.

The summons stated however that the defendant failed, refused, or neglected to comply with the demands in the Pre-Action Notice, thereby necessitating this suit.