SAN Ken Ahia has given PDP blogger Nwokeukwu Mascot seven days to retract defamatory statements or face legal action. The demand includes public apologies in national newspapers.
Renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ken Ahia has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Nwokeukwu Mascot, a PDP-affiliated blogger, demanding a retraction of what Ahia’s legal team describes as defamatory claims published on Mascot’s blog. In a letter sent through the law firm Adedeji & Owotomo, LP Legal Practitioners & Consultants, Ahia’s attorneys insist that Mascot publicly retract the statements and publish apologies in three widely-read national newspapers.
The controversial opinion piece, authored by Obinna Oriaku and published on Mascot’s blog, allegedly questioned Ahia’s professional competence and suggested improper conduct. The publication implied that Ahia’s law firm had been appointed without proper procurement processes, a move the blog suggested could constitute a criminal offense. The post further questioned whether the Attorney General “deliberately wants to assist his friend and benefactor by outsourcing his core function just to grease the palms of his benefactor while Abians bear the brunt.”
Ahia’s legal representatives argue that the publication maliciously attacks Ahia’s reputation, asserting that the language used is designed to “degrade, humiliate, and put our client to disrepute.” They highlight statements questioning Ahia’s expertise, including, “What does the law firm that drafted the agreement know about negotiations of engineering works?” and “appointing the law firm of Ken Ahia without going through the public procurement process is pure misappropriation.”
According to Ahia’s legal team, these allegations are not only unfounded but have caused significant harm to his standing within the legal community and among clients in Nigeria and abroad. “The statements in the opinion show clear malicious intent to degrade, humiliate, and put our client to disrepute and lower his image before his clients, friends, family, Abians, and all those who know him since 1988,” the letter states.
The letter also emphasizes that the defamatory material’s global accessibility has magnified its impact, potentially tarnishing Ken Ahia’s reputation internationally, including with clients whose estates he manages in the United Kingdom and the United States. “You knew or ought to know that having published the defamatory material electronically, it will be available to the whole world and would be read by our client, his friends, family, clients, including those he is managing their estate in Nigeria, United Kingdom, and United States,” Ahia’s legal representatives wrote.
The demand letter clearly outlines that if Mascot fails to retract the defamatory publication within the seven-day window, Ahia will pursue all legal remedies available, which could include significant damages for reputational harm.
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