Babatunji Wusu –
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, has sent a cease and desist notice to Segun Olatunji, Editor of FirstNews, for allegedly false and malicious defamatory articles published in January and April 2024.
Dr. Kemi Pinheiro, Gbajabiamila’s solicitor, demanded a public apology and retraction within seven days, citing legal ramifications under cybercrime laws as well as civil and criminal procedures.
Pinheiro advised against further diffusion of the contents, citing the potential for legal action under numerous laws, including the Cybercrime Prohibition and Prevention Act 2015 and the Criminal and Penal Codes.
Gbajabiamila’s staff warned the public about a concerted calumny campaign against him and encouraged those who were already hosting the publications to stop.
If Segun Olatunji does not reply adequately, the lawyer will pursue exemplary and aggravated damages, an injunction, a retraction, and a public apology in two major dailies.
The letters, dated May 3, 2024, state that a number of “deliberate and coordinated malicious campaigns of calumny against his person in various print, electronic media, and social media platforms” were brought to Gbajabiamila’s knowledge. He claimed that after being published on January 28, 2024, for the articles and April 6, 2024, for the interview, they were reposted and shared on a number of sites.
The legal firm said that Gbajabiamila was intentionally and erroneously depicted in the publications as a shady, dishonest, fraudulent, corrupt, untrustworthy, and disloyal someone who is unqualified to hold the esteemed position of Chief of Staff to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
They asked that Olatunji print a full-page unequivocal public retraction and apology in two major newspapers within seven days of receiving the letter, subject to their firm’s approval.
Furthermore, Pinheiro advised the “unsuspecting members of the public who are already indulged or may be tempted to indulge in the dissemination of these obviously false and defamatory contents to immediately cease and desist from sharing, posting, forwarding, or disseminating the said contents or otherwise engage in cyberstalking of our client, premised on the defamatory words contained in the aforementioned interview and article.
“Unless this warning is heeded, our client will not hesitate to ensure that such perpetrators face the wrath of the law as provided for under Section 24 of the Cybercrime Prohibition and Prevention Act 2015, Sections 375 and 376 of the Criminal Code, and Sections 391, 392, 393, 394, and 395 of the Penal Code as well as a civil action in defamation.”
