The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke has dragged the Executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption Network, Honourable Dino Melaye over some libellous publications contained in an Abuja-based newspaper and on the internet and is claiming N10.2bn as damages.
In a suit filed by his counsel, Ahmed Raji, Adoke stated that Melaye and his organisation libelled him by causing the publication of a story entitled, ‘Group writes Jonathan over Adoke’s abuse of Power,’ in the Leadership Newspaper of April 12, 2013 and another article entitled ‘Anti-Corruption Network reminds President Jonathan he has yet to fire AGF Adoke,’ posted on the Sahara Reporters’ website on April 11.
However, despite his petition, Adoke was said by the police to have refused to cooperate with them to investigate the allegations in his petition.
This was made known to Adoke’s lawyers by the police authorities in the letter dated May 17, as they advised the minister to sue for criminal libel, explaining that Melaye and his lawyers were frustrating efforts by the police to investigate the allegations.
According to court papers made available to this correspondent, the justice minister sued Melaye over seven grave allegations contained in the publication and the posting by the online news site, which the minister described as false, defamatory and designed to tarnish his good name.
The justice minister also affirmed that the said publications painted him as a dishonourable person sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government, while also undermining his reputation to occupy public office within the federation.
The minister denied all the allegations contained in the publications and affirmed that he had incurred enormous cost in legal consultation, thereby making a claim of N10 billion against the defendants as damages for libel contained in the publications.
He is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents or privies from further publishing libellous stories about him.
The AGF is also seeking another N200 million as cost of litigation of the suit, which includes professional fees of the counsel engaged in the suit.
Melaye, who is a former House of Representatives member has been in the news of frequent writing petitions to government bodies on various issues, ranging from corruption of public officials to judicial matters.
He recently petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairperson, National Judicial Council, Justice Mariam Aloma-Mukhtar over the appointment of 12 judges to the National Industrial Court, citing what he called “their lack of considerable knowledge and experience in the law and practice of industrial relations and employment conditions.”
He hails from Kogi State as the Attorney General of the Federation, Adoke.
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