A student of Obafemi Awolowo, David Ojuko, has threatened legal action against another, Adeife Adewale, who he claimed falsely accused him of rape.
In a letter through his counsel, Kingsley Enekwe, Ojuko, said Adewale, on February 17, falsely accused him of a criminal offence of rape and published his phone number alongside the said allegation on social media.
The letter stated that the allegation was false, malicious, reckless and without any factual foundation, adding that Adewale’s publication exposed his client to public hatred and ridicule.
“It is our client’s brief that you, on or about the 17th day of February, falsely accused him of the
criminal offence of rape and proceeded to publish his phone number alongside the said allegation on social media, including but not limited to WhatsApp.
“By that publication, you portrayed our client to the public as a rapist. The said allegation is entirely false, malicious, reckless, and without any factual foundation. As you are aware, an allegation of rape constitutes a most serious criminal imputation.
“Your publication exposed our client to public hatred, ridicule, contempt, and opprobrium, severely
injuring his reputation, integrity, and standing among family members, fellow students, professional colleagues, associates, and the general public. Following your publication, several persons privately contacted our client, directly referring to
him as a rapist.
“Although you subsequently issued an apology via a video recording, the damage occasioned by your defamatory publication remains substantial and continuing. The initial defamatory statement
had already gained circulation and caused significant reputational and emotional harm before your retraction. Furthermore, the apology does not extinguish liability for the tort of defamation, nor does it automatically cure the injury occasioned by the widespread publication,” the letter reads in part.
The counsel, on behalf of his client, demanded the sum of N15 million as damages and a written apology as well as full retraction of the said post.
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