Gives 14 Days Ultimatum For Apology, Retraction
A former Chief Security Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Mr. Haruna Yusuf Abiona, has demanded the sum of N3.6 billion from the Edo State Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Col. David Imuse, (Rtd.) and three others for defamation of character.
Others are Tony Kabaka Adun, Emperor Jarret Tenebe, State Deputy Chairman, Edo North, and Adams Ehigiamusoe Shaba, President, Professional Drivers on Wheel.
While the retired police officer threatened to institute an action of defamation in the sum of N300 million each against Kabaka and Shaba, he threathed Tenebe N1 billion and Imuse, N2 billion suits respectively.
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Haruna, in a letter signed by his counsel, Ainabeholo Oseikhuemen and made available to newsmen in Benin, Tuesday, alleged that in the build up to the September 19, 2020, governorship election in the state, the APC chieftains accused Haruna of conniving with the Edo State Government and plotted to “stage an attack on their own convoy specifically that of the deputy governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu, in a bid to draw sympathy before the last governorship elections”.
In the letter dated February 19, 2021, Counsel to Haruna claimed that the four APC leaders published various malicious statements against him (Haruna) “on the Internet and other social media platforms both in the prints and broadcast media stations”.
“Some of the false and malicious publications are that you falsely describe our client, Haruna Yusuf Abiona as the mastermind behind the mayhem and terror unleashed at the front of the palace of the Oba of Benin.
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“The above false and malicious publication you deliberately made in various media platforms, widely circulated in the whole world with millions of people accessing such platforms for the purpose of tarnishing our client’s image, reducing him to an irresponsible, violent and wicked person in the minds of the palace bloc as a retired senior police officer and a top government official”, the ex-CSO claimed.
He, therefore, asked the APC chieftains to, within 14 days of service of the letter, ” retract the said false and malicious publications through six (6) national dailies circulating in Nigeria, social media platforms and broadcasting stations where the malicious publications were made and tender a letter of apology”.
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