A Nigerian lawyer, Mr Maxwell Opara, has sued Twitter over defamation seeking N10 billion in damages from now “X” App, and the Department of State Services (DSS).
In the summons titled: FCT/HC/CV/7186/23 filed by Malachy Nwaekpe with the Federal High Court Abuja, Opara listed Twitter Nigeria Limited and the Managing Director (DG) of the DSS as 1st and 2nd defendant.
The DSS and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Minister of Justice were named as the third and fourth defendants, respectively, in the August 11 lawsuit, filed August 14.
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The lawsuit filed on July 18 alleges that Twitter, now known as X, “negligently allowed the defamatory, ethnic profiling and racist comments against,” by the director-general-led DSS on the security agency’s platform for more of 96 hours.
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Opara, who said the post went viral to millions of readers, described the post as “false, defamatory, demeaning, disparaging and harmful.”
She then asked for eight exemptions, including:
“An order of this honourable court directing the 2nd and 3rd defendants (DG and DSS), jointly and severally, to issue a letter of apology on the 1st defendant’s platform Twitter and a daily newspaper widely read across the federation of Nigeria.”
He further sought a court order ordering the defendants to pay jointly and severally an amount of N10 billion to the plaintiff.
The amount will be in general compensation for the various defamatory, demeaning, libelous and harmful words of the third defendant led by the 2nd defendant that the words were published and made viral by the 1st defendant on his Twitter platform.
Opara said:
“An award of 10% post–judgment interest per annum on the entire judgment sum from the date of judgment till same is fully liquidated.”
