Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has demanded N100 million compensation for alleged defamation from the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
This demand stemmed from FIJ’s reports on financial irregularities within the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs (OSSAP-SDGs) during the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Orelope-Adefulire, through her legal representatives Muiz Banire & Associates, sent three pre-action letters to FIJ.
These letters demanded the payment of N100 million and threatened a N500 million lawsuit if the demands were not met within 14 days, despite being unable to prove FIJ’s earlier reports of alleged financial irregularities within her office wrong.
FIJ has firmly rejected these demands and stood by its reports. FIJ’s legal representatives, Slingstone Law, led by Abimbola Ojenike, responded to Orelope-Adefulire, stating,
“Nothing in your communication discloses substantive facts that negate the facts in the publications or establish their falsity. Consequently, there is no legal or factual ground for any liability claim.” Slingstone Law expressed readiness to defend the case in court, condemning Orelope-Adefulire’s actions, which included the orchestrated abduction of Ojukwu.
The dispute started from FIJ’s investigative reports published in 2023, which highlighted irregularities in the procurement processes of OSSAP-SDGs.
One report revealed that just two weeks before President Buhari’s tenure ended, Orelope-Adefulire paid a restaurant N147.1 million to build classrooms in Lagos despite several irregularities in the contract execution.
In response to these publications, Orelope-Adefulire petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, leading to the abduction and detention of Ojukwu from May 1 to May 10, 2024.
During this period, Ojukwu was held under stringent bail conditions. His release followed a protest by civil society organisations at the Force Headquarters.
Muiz Banire & Associates, in their letters, claimed that the FIJ’s publications were defamatory and intended to damage Orelope-Adefulire’s reputation.
They stated, “The said publications cast a direct aspersion on the person of our client, to right-thinking members of society, as you have presented our client as a corrupt official who engages in the business of siphoning public funds and diverting same for private use.”
In their response, FIJ’s lawyers rejected these claims, affirming the truthfulness and integrity of their reports.
“Our Clients uphold ethical standards in reporting on matters of public interest and assert that the publications are factual in all material particulars. The comments made in the publications are fair and made in the overriding interest of public transparency, accountability, and good governance.”
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