By Gbenga Abulude
Former minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has demanded N6 billion from Media Trust Limited, the publisher of the Daily Trust newspaper for allegedly defaming his character in a recent article it published.
The letter, which was signed by the former minister’s lawyer, Adeola Adesipe, was in response to an article titled, ‘FFK, the Drug Addled Thug in Designer Wears’ dated August 30, 2020.
Fani-Kayode through his lawyer asked that N6 billion compensation be paid for the damages he suffered in the article written by Iliyasu Gadu. He also demanded for a published apology.
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Recall that Fani-Kayode during a press conference in Calabar last week, hurled insults at a Daily Trust reporter, Mr Eyo Charles for daring to ask him, who was bankrolling his tour of PDP states in the South South zone of the country.
The video of his outburst which went viral on the social media brought the ex-minister immense criticisms for calling the journalist all sorts of names.
He later apologised first on Twitter, to his media friends and did not make any direct reference to the journalist.
However, at a press conference at the government house, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Fani-Kayode swallowed his pride and said, after a cursory look at the manner of his reaction, he was disappointed in himself and he apologised.
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But Daily Trust took him to the cleaners, publishing an article by Ilyasu Gadu, which touched on his personality, his past drug life and family history.
Titled: “Re: Defamation of the character of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, by Iliyasu Gadu”.
It read: “Our Client’s attention has been drawn to a spurious publication that was made at your instance, on 30th August 2020, under the caption: ‘FFK, The drug-addled thug in designer wears’ on the Daily Trust print media, and the online platform.
“In that hateful and malicious publication, you consciously elected to denigrate our Client, in the manner hereunder summarised as follows: that he is a dirty person and drug addict; he is a man of low esteem without dignity or reputation; that he is a pariah and disgrace to his State of Origin; he lacks character training in the best traditions of an English man and therefore unfit to be an alumnus of the prestigious Cambridge University and the University of London; he is not fit to have been called to the Nigerian Bar, as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria;” among other assertions.
“It is our instruction to intimate you of this grievous breach on the character and hard-earned reputation of our client with patent collateral damage on his pedigree 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 afford you 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 Six Billion Naira, being a token amount for penitence as opposed to the magnitude of infraction caused to our client’s nobility.”
