Ifeanyi Ejiofor, lawyer to the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, on Monday, dragged a human rights activist and Executive Director of the Due Process Advocates, Emeka Ugwuonye to a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, demanding N5.1bn for allegedly defamatory publication.

One of the defamatory materials was said to have been published and circulated to third parties on the internet on February 5, 2022, and continued till February 8 2022.

When contacted by The PUNCH, Ugwuonye told our correspondent to send messages via SMS or WhatsApp but as of the time of this report, he had yet to reply.

Ugwuonye had alleged that “Ejiofor was facing serious investigation for fraud and forgery by the EFCC.”

Among the reliefs sought by Ejiofor included the following:

“A declaration that the publications variously made by the defendant of and concerning the claimant, on the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 12th of February, 2022, the particulars of which are contained in the statement of claim, are defamatory of the claimant.

“An order of the Honourable Court directing the defendant to forthwith publish a full retraction of the utterly libelous publications and an unqualified apology to the claimant in at least three national Newspapers with nationwide circulation.

“An order of the Honourable Court directing the defendant to forthwith publish a written undertaking not to publish any similar or further libel of and concerning the claimant.

“A perpetual order of injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, associates, privies and/or proxies howsoever called, from publishing any similar or further libel of and concerning the claimant.

“The sum of N5,000,000,000:00 (Five Billion Naira Only) as general and exemplary damages.

“The sum of N100,000,000:00 (Hundred Million Naira Only) being the cost of this action.”

The case had yet to be assigned to a judge.