Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir El Rufa’i has slammed a N2bn defamation suit against a former media aide to ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Reno Omokri, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, a former Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Thisday Newspapers Limited and others.
Others sued in the three separate suits are Timothy Elombah, Daniel Elombah, Silas Onu and Auta Nyada. The defamation suits were filed by his lawyer A.U. Mustapha (SAN) before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
In the case against Omokri, El Rufa’i contends that statements contained in his publication titled: ‘El-Rufa’i’s email saying southern women youth corpers are seen as whores’ which was published by Thisday newspaper on Sunday 14th of June 2020 is injurious to his reputation, adding that it is “malicious, unwarranted and defamatory”.
The governor demanded the sum of N500 million in compensation and an apology published in the newspaper.
In the suit against Odinkalu, Daniel Elombah and Elombah Communications, El Rufa’i contends that the publication titled: ‘Litany of 25 critics who have suffered at El Rufa’i’s hands compiled by Chidi Odinkalu’, which was published in Elombah.com on Wednesday September 2, 2020 is “malicious, unlawful and without any justification.”
He demanded the sum of N500 million in damages and apology for the “defamatory and greatly injurious to his reputation.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing.
