Monday, November 18, 2024 -The Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawalle, has sued two prominent northern journalists, Shu’aibu Mungadi and Tijjani Ramalan, for alleged defamation and malicious reportage.
The former governor, in the suit marked K/M2102/2024, dated October 25
and sighted by our correspondent on Sunday, is seeking N10bn in general damages
in his favour against each of the six defendants in addition to 10 per cent
post-judgment interest of the entire judgment sum until fully liquidated.
Other defendants in the suit are the employers of the two journalists,
Vision Media Services Ltd, Vision FM, Farin Wata Television and Liberty Radio
and TV.
The plaintiff in an affidavit in support of the motion for interlocutory
injunction sworn to by Alhaji Masudu Abdulkadir, the personal assistant to the
Minister, he claimed that the defendants through their media platform, anchored
by the 1st and 2nd defendants, made utterances and assertions that the
character of the plaintiff painting and alleging him as a sponsor of bandits.
The deponent deposed saying “That the plaintiff/applicant was the chief
security officer and the executive governor of Zamfara State for four years and
that during his tenure in office as the executive governor as well as chief
security officer of the state, he tried and strived vigorously to tackle
insecurity in all its ramification in the state.
“That from January 2024, the 3rd to 6th defendants in their respective
stations, channels, pages, handles, YouTube and programmes chaired/anchored by
the 1st and 2nd defendants started televising, airing, broadcasting, posting,
spreading false, libelous, injurious and defamatory statements, utterances,
assertions and allegations against the person, character and reputation of the
plaintiff, presenting and painting him as sponsor of bandits and banditry as
well as kidnappers and kidnapping in the North-West states of Nigeria, Zamfara
State inclusive.
“That the said stations, channels, pages, handles, Youtube and
programmes of the 3rd to 6th defendants anchored/chaired by the 1st and 2nd
defendants cut across the said North-West states and are being tuned, listened
and viewed by the innocent good populous people of those states, including Kano
State as well as the entire world in respect of the online stations, channels
and pages of the defendants.”
While undertaking that the plaintiff will pay damages in the event that
the substantive suit turns out to be frivolous, the deponent contended that
“unless restrained pending the hearing and determination of the substantive
suit, the defendants will continue injuring and assassinating the character and
reputation of the plaintiff.”
In the motion on notice filed by Umar Said of Umar and Umar chambers,
which is before Justice Musa Ahmad of Kano State High Court, Bichi Division,
Matawalle is praying the court for “an order of interlocutory injunction
restraining all the defendants, their officers, staff, agents, servants and
employees from making further instigation, insinuation airing, broadcasting,
posting, uploading, transmitting, televising in whatever form any issue
concerning, relating or regarding the plaintiff and his office as per the facts
of this suit, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
Also, in a concurrent writ of summons, the plaintiff’s counsel prayed
the court for “a declaration that the allegations, statements, utterances and
assertions made by the defendants repeatedly against the plaintiff at their
various programmes and posting from January 2024 to date, aired, televised,
posted and broadcast by them at their respective stations, channels, handles
and YouTubes as per the facts of this suit constitute defamation of the
plaintiff and his person, character and reputation.”
Other reliefs sought by the plaintiff include, “An order of perpetual
injunction, restraining the defendants, their agents, assigns or proxies among
others in whatever name or description acting on their behalf, instruction or
instance from further defaming the person of the plaintiff and his reputation.
“An order of the court directing the defendants to tender type-written
apology to the plaintiff for the said defamation of his person, character and
reputation and same apology shall bear and contain a retraction of the said
defamatory statements, utterances, allegations, posting and assertions against
the plaintiff and shall be published conspicuously part of two newspapers
(local and nationwide).”
The court has fixed m December 12, 2024 for hearing.
Matawalle’s suit comes shortly after a group within the All Progressives
Congress known as Akida Forum, called for a thorough investigation of the
minister of state over the rising insecurity in North-West states.
The group, which protested at the headquarters of the Department of
State Services, urged the security agency to conduct an independent
investigation into the alleged connection between Matawalle and some bandits.
A similar similar call was made by the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda
Lawal, who urged Matawalle to resign from his ministerial position to clear his
name.
Lawal also said he had “formally reported the minister to the National
Security Adviser and President Tinubu and presented some facts to them.”
But Matawalle has repeatedly denied all the allegations of his links with bandits.
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