Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has written the management of Media Trust Limited, publishers of Daily Trust demanding N6bn and an apology for allegedly defaming him.
The letter addressed to the Managing Director of Daily Trust, dated August 31, 2020 and titled, ‘Defamation of the character of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode by Iliyasu Gadu,’ was signed by the former minister’s lawyer, Adeola Adesipe.
He said the letter was in response to an article titled, ‘FFK, the Drug Addled Thug in Designer Wears’ published by the Daily Trust on August 30, 2020.
In the article, Gadu lampooned Fani-Kayode for his outburst during a Press conference in Calabar where he described the Daily Trust reporter, Eyo Charles, as ‘stupid’ after he asked a question concerning who was “bankrolling” FFK’S current tour of southern states.
Gadu, had claimed that Fani-Kayode, who attended Cambridge University, was once “a drug addict” and had sought rehabilitation in Ghana, but “till today has not been cured of the habit.”
READ ALSO: Coronavirus: US Passes Six Million Covid-19 Cases
In his pre-litigation letter, however, Fani-Kayode described the article as libelous and demanded an apology from the newspaper, which must be published in other national dailies.
The former minister also demanded that negotiation be entered into for possible payment of N6bn due to the “irreparable loss” the article had caused him.
He gave the newspaper 14 days to comply or face legal action.
The letter read in part, “Be aware that our client has not only suffered immeasurable loss of goodwill, he is currently confronted with unbearable opprobrium by his fans, followers and colleagues across the globe.
“Our client is alive to his rights both in law and equity but is disposed to an opportunity to undo the evil you have done by retracting the said insalubrious remarks on the same platform it was published and apologising to him in two other national dailies.
“You are also advised to enter into negotiations with us for the sum of N6bn being a token amount for penitence as opposed to the magnitude of infraction caused to our client’s nobility.”
Fani-Kayode also wrote a similar letter to Gadu, who authored the article.
