Sowore And Two Lawyers Hit With N150m Defamation Lawsuit
Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, along with two lawyers, Uchenna Oriji and Ogbonna Arochukwu, is facing a N150 million defamation lawsuit at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The suit, marked CV/3980/2024, accuses them of publishing false and harmful information against fellow lawyer Nkemakolam Okoro, damaging his reputation.
Okoro alleges that Oriji and Arochukwu filed a petition with the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) falsely claiming he forged an affidavit and initiated a petition on behalf of Mr. Fabian Aroh Ajah in 2020 without proper authorization. Ajah later testified before the LPDC in August 2021, denying that he ever instructed Okoro or his colleague, Innocent Omoko, to act on his behalf.
Following Ajah’s testimony, the LPDC directed Okoro and Omoko to apologize for the unauthorized petition. However, they have allegedly failed to comply with the LPDC’s order.
The defamatory content in question, Okoro claims, was included in a letter written by Oriji and Arochukwu, dated February 5, 2024. The letter was reportedly sent to various legal authorities, including the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Attorney General, and other high-ranking officials. Okoro further alleges that Sahara Reporters published the defamatory content online, tarnishing his reputation worldwide.
In his lawsuit, Okoro seeks an injunction to prevent further defamatory publications, along with N150 million in damages. He is also requesting a full-page retraction and apology to be published in seven national newspapers, including Daily Sun.
