Fani-Kayode Sues Daily Trust Over Defamation of Character; Demands Apology, N6bn Damages

Nigeria’s former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has demanded an open apology and a whooping ₦6billion from the management of Media Trust Limited – publishers of Daily Trust Newspaper and other publications for an alleged defamation of character.

FFK made the demand through a letter addressed to the Managing Director of Daily Trust, dated August 31, 2020 and titled, ‘Defamation of the character of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode by Iliyasu Gadu.’

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The letter signed by Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Adeola Adesipe, was in response to an article titled, ‘FFK, the Drug Addled Thug in Designer Wears’ dated August 30, 2020 and published by the Daily Trust Newspaper.

In the said article published by Daily Trust newspaper, Gadu berated the former minister over his conduct last week, where he called a Daily Trust reporter in Calabar, Eyo Charles, as ‘stupid’ upon the journalist asking to know those “bankrolling” his current tour of southern states.

Gadu, claimed that Fani-Kayode attended Cambridge University and was once “a drug addict” who sought rehabilitation in Ghana, but “till today has not been cured of the habit.”

FFK’s pre-litigation letter described Gadu’s article as libelous and demanded an apology from the newspaper, which must be published in other national dailies.

The former minister also demanded that negotiation be entered into for possible payment of N6bn due to the irreparable loss the article had caused him.

It reads in part, “Be aware that our client has not only suffered immeasurable loss of goodwill, he is currently confronted with unbearable opprobrium by his fans, followers and colleagues across the globe.

“Our client is alive to his rights both in law and equity but is disposed to an opportunity to undo the evil you have done by retracting the said insalubrious remarks on the same platform it was published and apologising to him in two other national dailies.

“You are also advised to enter into negotiations with us for the sum of N6bn being a token amount for penitence as opposed to the magnitude of infraction caused to our client’s nobility.”

The author of the article and the newspaper have been given 14 days to comply or face a legal action by Fani-Kayode’s lawyer.