28th October, 2015
Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde has sued The Punch Newspaper to the tune of N1 billion over alleged libelous publication.
In the case filed at the High Court, Abuja by Lamorde’s counsel, Festus Keyamo, the EFCC chairman is suing The Punch N1 billion over a news story published by the newspaper on 27 October, 2015 captioned: “Alleged N1trillion diversion: FG orders EFCC to probe Larmode.”
Lamorde (plaintiff) said since the publication of the story by The Punch (Defendant), he had received several calls from within and outside the country over the story which he alleged defamed his character.
The plaintiff said the story portrayed him as fraudulent and corrupt civil servant who engaged in diversion of monies belonging to the government as well as an hypocrite whose fraudulent activities dated back to 2003 when he was Director of Operations of the EFCC.
The plaintiff averred that the libelous publication by the Defendant was widely circulated and read by millions of people in the world and particularly in Nigeria where the Plaintiff has several associates, friends, family and professional colleagues.
He further averred that immediately after the publication was released, he received numerous telephone calls from professional colleagues, international donor agencies, multinational organisations, relations, friends and religious leaders expressing their utmost disgust and contempt at the Plaintiff’s alleged disgraceful, unpatriotic and sacrilegious conducts and questioned the integrity of the plaintiff.
The plaintiff said that he had suffered tremendous damage to his reputation and that if the Defendant is not restrained, it would further publish injurious articles against him.
In the light of the above, Lamorde is claiming N1 billion being damages for the alleged libelous words published by the newspaper.
The plaintiff demanded an unreserved apology by the Defendant for the publication.
He is seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant whether by itself, its agents, privies or servants from further publishing or causing to be published any libelous, injurious or defamatory words against him and for such further order or other others the court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this case.