Day: August 2, 2025

Nnamdi Kanu, Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed a N60 billion suit against a social media influencer, Reno Omokri, over allegations bordering on defamation.

Kanu, in the fresh suit dated and filed on July 31, 2025, at the High Court of Enugu State by his counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, sought seven reliefs.

Ejimakor filed the case on behalf of Kanu and IPOB.

While the writ of summons marked: E/1034/2025 has Kanu as the plaintiff, Omokri is the sole defendant.

The plaintiff sought a general damages in the sum of N50 billion “for defamation, including injury to reputation, emotional distress and prejudice to ongoing judicial proceedings.

“Aggravated damages in the sum of N10 billion for the malicious and reckless publication of false statements by the defendant.

“An order directing the defendant to publish a full retraction of the defamatory statements in two national newspapers and on the defendant’s Twitter/X account within 7 days of the court’s judgment.

“An order directing the defendant to publish a public apology to the plaintiff in two national newspapers and on the defendant’s Twitter/X account, admitting to the misrepresentation of facts.”

Kanu also sought a perpetual injunction restraining Omokri or his agents from further publishing or disseminating such defamatory or prejudicial statements about him without lawful justification.

He equally sought a cost of filing the action, including legal fees and expenses incurred by him.

Besides, the IPOB leader sought “interest on all monetary awards at the rate of 10 per cent per annum from the date of judgment until full payment.”

In his statement of claim, Kanu alleged that on or about July 6, 2025, Omokri published or caused to be published, in his verified Twitter (X) account certain statements concerning him, falsely alleging that he and IPOB were responsible for the killing of soldiers, police officers, and other security personnel, as well as acts of violence attributed to so-called “unknown gunmen.”

The X handle is said to be: “hittps://x.com/renoomokri/status/1941731659499569534?t-6h_ u4 Wad7TdIViQALR9xcSw&s=19.”

The defendant, in his original post, was alleged to have said that: “Do you know how many Nigerian soldiers, police officers, customs, immigration, and prison officers, as well as NSCDC servicemen and women, have been killed by IPOB, ESN, and Unknown Gunmen in the Southeast, of which the majority have been from Northern Nigeria?”

He said the said publication further described him and IPOB as engaging in terrorist activities, including the operations of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), without lawful justification or evidence.

“The said statements are false, baseless, prejudicial, and defamatory, as they portray the plaintiff as a criminal and a terrorist, thereby injuring his reputation, character, exposing him to public hatred, contempt, ridicule, and prejudicing his ongoing judicial proceedings in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/15 pending at the Federal High Court Abuja.

“Plaintiff contends that as of the date of the malicious statements (6/7/2028), no court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria has convicted the plaintiff of any offence involving the killing of security personnel or acts of terrorism, rendering the defendant’s assertions factually incorrect and malicious.

“The defendant’s publication constitutes prejudicial commentary on the plaintiff’s pending judicial proceedings, amounting to contempt of court and a violation of the plaintiff’s right to a fair hearing and presumption of innocence under Section 36(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigena, 1999 (as amended),” Kanu said.

He said on his behalf, his counsel had issued a pre-action notice dated July 10, 2025 to Omokri, demanding:

“A retraction of the defamatory statements in two national newspapers and on the defendant’s Twitter/X account.

“A public apology admitting to the misrepresentation of facts concerning the plaintiff

“A!written undertaking to refrain from further defamatory or prejudicial publications.”

He said Omokri, who was former Special Assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan,;however, failed to comply with the demands in the pre-action notice, thereby necessitating the filing of the suit.

The case is yet to be assigned to a judge as at the time of filing the report.