.Demands N10b damages
The embattled former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, has sued acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu and the Commission over defamation of character. Maina, is asking for damages up to N10 billion for interviews and publications by Magu defaming his character. In a suit dated January 15, and filed on behalf of Maina by his counsel, Mr. James Onyilo, before a High Court, Lafia, he accused Magu of granting press interview which are slanderous, untrue and malicious.
In the writ of summons, Maina’s counsel asked the court for a declaration that the press interview granted by Magu on November 30th and December 14th, 2017 were defamatory, slanderous, untrue, injurious and intended to lower the reputation and integrity of the plaintiff in the estimation of right thinking members of the society and also brought him to public ridicule, odium, contempt and derision. He also asked the court to order the defendants, to retract and publish an unreserved apology to the plaintiff in at least three national daily within seven days from the day of the judgement.
Maina is also asking the court to restrain the EFCC boss from making comments considered defamatory of the plaintiff. He, however, asked for an order directing the defendants to pay jointly and severally, the sum of N10billion as damage for the publications.
In a statement of claim, Onyilo said: “The 1st defendant. (Magu) who has a personal score and vendetta to settle with the plaintiff using the instrumentality of the 2nd defendant (EFCC), maliciously embarked on a campaign of calumny against the plaintiff.
“The plaintiff avers that on the 30th of November 2017, the 1st defendant in the cause of a press interview aired different news report as well as on Internet medium of the various news media agencies made. The following statement, “it is terrible, as a result of Maina’s action, so many people, so many of our fathers and mothers who rendered service to this country had premature death; so many people had died.
