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Row as Iyabo Ojo sues Yomi Fabiyi, demands N100m for defamation

Published

5 years ago

May 15, 2021

Feyijimi Emmanuel

Popular Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, has taken legal action against her colleague, Yomi Fabiyi.

She demanded N100m for damages caused by his ‘defamatory publication’.

It was reported that Fabiyi had staged a protest on Wednesday demanding release of Baba Ijesha, who has been detained for allegedly molesting a minor on bail.

In a letter written by Ojo’s lawyers, The Maverick Forte Legal, it noted that during Fabiyi’s protest, defamatory statements which were attributed to Ojo were inscribed on some placards.

Some of the placards read: “Nigeria Police please allow the law to dictate to you not Iyabo Ojo, Princess and co; Please release Baba Ijesha.”

Another read: “Iyabo Ojo and Princess promised to kill Baba Ijesha if released on bail in this era?”

But Ojo denied making any statement to kill Baba Ijesha or unlawfully interfere with the responsibilities of the Nigeria Police Force.

The letter, which was shared via Ojo’s Instagram page, reads in part: “Take further notice that consequent upon your false, odious, malicious, vexatious and ludicrous statement and publication against our client which were broadcasted through your Instagram handle, viewed by a huge number of people and further published by several online blogs and newspaper outlets stemming from your orchestrated scheme that has so far damaged our client’s hard-earned reputation, vilify her integrity, rubbish her professional career as a businesswoman, entertainer and artiste, and more so caused our clients children grievous trauma and anxiety since the publication of your defamatory statement.

“It is expedient to state that your defamatory publication has lowered our client’s estimation in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society.

‘’Our client has equally suffered huge stigmatisation by business partners, mental agony, restlessness, public scorn, emotional distress, professional indignation, intense psychological trauma, vilification and financial losses by the sudden withdrawal of business patronage by clients and customers.”

Ojo’s lawyers demanded Fabiyi “publishes a full retraction of the said defamatory publication on his Instagram handle for seven consecutive days and acknowledge that the allegations are false, misleading and entirely defamatory of client’s character” within 14 days.

They added the retraction and public apology must be circulated and published by some media outlets.

They also demanded that Fabiyi “ceases and desists from making further, additional or fresh defamatory publications against our client on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and on any other social media, social messaging blog and/or print media outlets.

“Also, N100m must be paid as damages for the unjustifiable injury and losses occasioned by our client caused by your defamatory publication.”

But Fabiyi, while reacting to the legal action during an Instagram live session, said the actress cannot get a dime from him.

He further noted Ojo cannot serve him a legal letter via social media.

“Where would I get N100m from? Which house do I have to sell? If you write N100m, once they bring all the people involved in the case, they would (by themselves) reduce the money to N10m.

‘’At the end of the day, they would still not get a dime from me,” he said.