ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, took the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to court on Friday, May 26, 2023, on charges of libel.
In a lawsuit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, under suit number CV/6273/2023, Alison-Madueke claimed the EFCC and the Attorney-General had written and published false and defamatory reports about her on the EFCC’s website and other news platforms.
These reports, she asserted, portrayed her as a “corrupt, dishonest… degenerate, decadent public officer.”
Alison-Madueke maintained that the publications had caused substantial damage to her reputation and character, both of which are “of paramount importance to the success of her political endeavours.”
The writ of summons filed by her attorney, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), requested the court to mandate the defendants to retract the alleged false reports and issue a public apology to her in three national newspapers.
The apology would address “the false, injurious, malicious and libelous publications” levied against her over the last eight years.
Furthermore, the former minister is seeking an injunction to prevent the defendants from distributing the same or similar libelous materials about her.
She also called upon the court to order the EFCC and the Attorney-General to pay her a sum of N100 billion in damages for the allegedly defamatory reports.
The lawsuit marks the latest development in a long-standing legal dispute involving Alison-Madueke and the EFCC.
With the claim for damages of an unprecedented amount, the case promises to make a significant impact on the discourse around defamation and public accountability in Nigeria.
