•Demands N1.2bn compensation
From: Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has demanded N500 million from former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode as compensation for alleged libelous and defamatory claims that he owned the controversial $43 million recently confiscated by the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at an Ikoyi luxury flats in Lagos State.
Amaechi equally asked an aide to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Lere Olayinka, to pay him N750 million for similar offence.
The demand is contained in a letter by his counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), dated February 14, 2017, and titled “Re-defamation of character”.
Aside the monetary payments, Amaechi also asked Fani-Kayode and Olayinka to apologise to him in five national newspapers and on their twitter handles as well as other social media outfits.
The letter to Fani-Kayode reads: “The attention of our client has been drawn to the tweet posted on your time line (@realFfk) where you claimed “the $43 million is Rotimi Amaechi’s. He owns the flat it was found in, too (sic). NIA story is breaking news! NIA does not keep case in minister’s flats.”
“This story as uploaded by you is to our knowledge, blatantly false, malicious and is aimed at impeaching the credit of our client, a two-time Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, a two-time governor of Rivers State and current minister of the federation. Our client neither owns the cash nor house where the cash was found and your story and claim are unfounded. As a matter of fact, our client does not own any house in Lagos State, not to talk of keeping cash in one, and your story is preposterous.
“In view of the foregoing, and in the spirit of a second chance, we have our client’s instructions to give you an ultimatum of seven days, from the receipt of this letter, to issue an apology in five national dailies and your twitter handle. Your apology, which should be heartfelt, must be a total withdrawal of your claim, and its imputations must contain an expression of deep regret for this unwarranted attack and contain a complete retraction of the false statements of yours. We also demand from you, a sum of N500 million as compensation for the malicious and defamatory claim.”
For Olayinka, Amaechi equally demanded apology from, which he said should be on different platform from Fani-Kayode’s. He asked him to pay N750 million for what he called malicious and defamatory statements. The minister threatened to institute legal actions against him if he failed to meet his demands within seven days. When contacted, Fani-Kayode’s aide Jude Ndukwe said his boss was yet to receive any court document or process.
“We have been inundated with calls concerning a threat by Rotimi Amaechi to sue Chief Fani-Kayode for defamation over the $43 million issue. We are not losing any sleep over this matter. We have not received any court process or letter from Amaechi, but when we do so, our lawyers will respond vigorously and appropriately,” he said.