Popular blogger, Linda Ikeji, has boasted of hiring 100
lawyers to fight against the N25 million awarded against her over an alleged
libel content her blog published.
She said this on Twitter while reacting to the judgement of
the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja asking her to pay
general and exemplary damages of N25 million to a claimant, Mrs Ajibola Ajayi,
daughter of former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
She also criticised a law firm that represented Ajayi,
Olaniwun Ajayi LP, for bringing the case to public knowledge on Twitter.
Her blog was also asked to publish a written apology,
according to the law firm.
Linda Ikeji had reported that Ajayi described some
protesting students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology as a
“generation of mannerless children”.
But the former Oyo governor’s daughter after the publication
issued a press statement noting that the Instagram page quoted by Linda Ikeji,
‘conceited_csj’, was not hers.
Subsequently, Ajayi secured the services of a law firm, Olaniwun
Ajayi LP, on the matter.
It was learnt that in a judgement delivered on April 12,
2022, the court held that the publication by Linda Ikeji was “false and
malicious”.
According to Linda, the law firm filed the same case in both
Lagos and Abuja High Courts without her knowledge.
Apart from calling Olaniwun Ajayi LP’s lawyer, Ogunmuyiwa
Balogun, ‘an idiot’, she also described the lawyer as “inexperienced 26 years
old”.
She tweeted, “Lol. You’re such an idiot lawyer. I hear
you’re an inexperienced 26 year old? How can you file in Lagos and Abuja on the
same issue? And then you don’t even inform me? Hope you’re ready for appeal and
supreme court? And a countersue? Tell your client to get ready!
“Also if you’re using my name to catch clout like this on
social media, gloating and happy… does this mean I’m the biggest client your
firm has ever sued and won against? Or is this how you announce all your
victories? I should sue you for using my name like this.
“I’m supposed to be scared? I can pay 100 lawyers. So let’s
go!
I'm supposed to be scared? 😂😂😂. I can pay 100 lawyers. So let's go! 😉😉
— Linda Ikeji (@lindaikeji) April 14, 2022
“They are such a big law firm and they are using Linda Ikeji
to chase clout on Twitter? I’m the biggest thing to ever happen to them? Lol. I
hope when I come after them, they will continue to tweet. I’m done talking.
Thanks, everyone for the love and support. God bless.”
What the court said -Law firm
Earlier, the firm tweeted, “Olaniwun Ajayi LP is happy to
have successfully represented Mrs. Ajibola Ajayi, the claimant in Suit No.
FCT/CV/667/2018: Mrs Ajibola Ajayi v. Linda Ikeji in an action filed at the
High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
“In the action, the claimant had sued Ms. Linda Ikeji in
respect of the defamatory article published in the latter’s blog,
https://t.co/96s6uH3OKc on 15.01.17 and 17.01.17 which cited Mrs. Ajibola Ajayi
as having described protesting students of the Ladoke Akintola University of
Technology, Ogbomoso, as a “generation of mannerless children” in an Instagram post
with the username “conceited_csj”.
“In the judgment delivered on 12.04.2022, the Court held
that the publication by Ms. Ikeji was false and malicious and that the evidence
before the Court showed that the Defendant knew that the Instagram account with
the username “conceited_csj” did not belong to the Claimant.
“In reiterating the trite principle of law that libel is
actionable per se, the Court awarded general and exemplary damages in the sum
of N25,000,000.00 (Twenty-Five Million Naira) against Ms. Linda Ikeji and
directed Ms. Ikeji to publish a written apology to the Claimant in three
National tabloids.
“The claimant was represented in the action by our Ogunmuyiwa Balogun; and it is our belief that with Judgments like this, media outfits and members of the public will verify sources of their information ahead of publication.”
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