Ikoyi Building: Osinbajo Instructs Lawyer To Go After Media Houses, Bloggers, Others Over ‘False’ Publication

Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has directed his lawyers to compile the names of media houses, journalists and bloggers, amongst others, who joined in fabricating or circulating falsehood against him.

Osinbajo said recent reports which linked him to the collapsed 21-storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos State, were aimed at tarnishing his name and reputation.

Some media outfits, not THE WHISTLER, had reported that the property is owned by Osinbajo and that the developer, Femi Osibona, who perished in the collapsed building, fronted for him.

The vice president described the reports as “libelous” and instructed his lawyer and Senior Advocated of Nigeria, Ebun-olu Adegboruwa, to commence “civil actions in court, in any jurisdiction where such publication occurs.”

Adegboruwa disclosed this in a statement he posted on his Facebook page on Saturday.

“These publications, believed to have been sponsored by faceless individuals and entities to tarnish the good name and reputation of our Client, claim most spuriously, that our Client is connected with the said building, one way or the other, without any scintilla of proof. For the records, our Client is not involved in, associated or connected with the ownership or development of the collapsed building, in any manner whatsoever.

“This notice has thus become necessary, partly to explain the legal consequences of fabricating falsehood and unsubstantiated negative reports, of and concerning our Client. In law, liability for libellous publications is not limited to the original author or publisher thereof, but it also extends to and includes all those who, out of sheer ignorance, mischief or malice, or all, cause any libellous publication to be repeated, reposted or re-published, either personally or through any platform for which they have control.

“Accordingly, we have the instructions of our Client to compile and preserve the particulars of anyone found to have published, re-published or endorsed or consented to the publication, distribution or circulation of any libellous material, of and concerning him, for the purpose of commencing civil actions in court, in any jurisdiction where such publication occurs,” he said.