Alleged looters list: Secondus sues Lai Mohammed for libel

• Demands N1.5bn damages

The controversies surrounding the list of alleged looters made public by the Minster of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has generated new phase of crisis in the polity, including libel suit against the minster.

Accordingly, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, has sued the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in court for defamation of character.

Media aide to the National Chairman, Ike Abonyi, revealed this in a statement at the week end.

Lai Mohammed had mentioned Secondus in the list of those who looted the country’s treasury, alleging that the PDP National Chairman collected received N200 million from the former National Security Adviser (NSA).

Secondus had through his counsel, Mr. Emeka Etiaba, refuted collecting any money from the former NSA.

The national chairman consequently demanded the Information Minister to immediately retract his name on the list, make a public apology and pay him the sum of N1.5 billion damages within 48 hours.

“We shall within 72 hours from today (March 31, 2018), proceed to a court of competent jurisdiction to ventilate our client’s right under the law and shall further seek the protection of the court against you,” Emeka Etiaba, Counsel to Secondus had communicated Lai Mohammed in a letter on Saturday.

Ignoring the libel letter, the PDP National Chairman proceeded to court on Friday and filed a suit at the Port Harcourt High Court, Rivers State.

In the suit no/PHC/1013/2018, Secondus requested the court to award him the sum of N1.5 billion as damages for “humiliation, castigation, vilification attack on his person and integrity as a result of the publication.”

He also argued that the list published by the minister was defamatory, praying the court to direct Mohammed to retract the said publication and apologize in writing.

The national chairman wants the retraction and apology to be published in all social media platforms and other media organisations where it was earlier publicised and broadcasted.

He further appealed to the court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from further publishing defamatory materials against him.

Joined in the suit are the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Attorney General of the Federation and a publishing firm.

The minister and other respondents are yet to respond to the suit.

Lai Mohammed had said last Friday in Lagos that the decision to reveal the list was prompted by the PDP’s call to the government to publish the names of those that alleged looted Nigeria’s treasury.