An Abuja based legal practitioner, Nkem Okoro has given an activist and Professor of Law, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, a 24 hours ultimatum to retract his defamatory and malicious publication against him or face legal action.
Besides, Okoro who is equally demanding the sum of N1 billion as damages for the malicious and vindictive publication has further demanded an apology from Odinkalu in three national dailies within the next 24 hours.
In a letter dated October 3, 2024 and addressed to Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Okoro accused him of misrepresenting facts and presenting him to the general reading public as someone who was indicted by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) on a matter that is presently on appeal before the Supreme Court.
The letter stated that on October 3, 2024, Prof. Odinkalu “authored and caused to be published on your Twitter handle with a bold headline:
“Is it any surprise that these are the kind of specimens who line up in defence of the kind of order made by that @fcthighcourt? It’s a tragedy that these are kinds of people now who can be found to defend the indefensible misdeed of #Nigeria court?”
But Okoro in his letter said the above publication is an attacked on his person and hard-earned reputation and character and capacity as a lawyer and Minister in the temple of justice.
The letter reads: “The story which you published and caused to be published is also accessible online at https:\\lawandsociety magazine.com/Odinkalu -unveils-nkem-okoro-excursion-on-judicial-breach/, with the heading;
“Odinkalu unveils Nkem Okoro’s Excursion and Judicial Breach. Last August, one Nkem Okoro was everywhere threatening fire and brimstone about my views on what was manifest abuse of judicial power @FCT High Court. It turns out Nkem Okoro has previous record or infractions in such matters with LPDC.”
“You published and or caused to be published with malice aforethought and intent to inflict maximum damage to my name, character, and reputation, by falsely, distorting and misrepresenting facts on the 3rd October, 2024, by presenting to the reading public, in a tit-for-tat publication, given my earlier stern warning to you, to desist forthwith, from disrespectful, false and unsubstantiated publications against the Nigeria judiciary, the distorted report of the proceedings of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.
“By your false malicious publication you misrepresented to the general reading public that I was indicted by the LPDC, over a matter that is pending the Supreme Court in appeal No: SC/CV/857/2021, without also bringing to the attention of the reading public that the decision of the LPDC, wherein, I was asked to apologised to certain persons, is subject of an appeal before the Supreme Court.
“By your false and malicious publication, you misrepresented to the general reading public that I was indicted by the LPDC, over a matter, which the Nigeria Bar Association, had investigated and dismissed for lacking merit, after consideration of a petition written by Ogbona Paul Arochukwu, as it pertains to the circumstances to which you gave a distorted narrative just to malign my person in vengeance of my earlier stern warning, asking you to desist from insulting the nation’s judiciary.
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“By your malicious, false, and negligent publication, you insinuated that I am not worthy, to defend, the nation’s judiciary. You insinuated that I have been indicted by the LPDC, over a matter, pending before the Supreme Court, without allowing the Supreme Court, to determine an appeal pending before it, in your retributive publication against my person.
“Unless you take immediate steps to redress the damage to my hard-earned reputation as a result of your defamatory, reckless and mendacious publication, within the next 24 hours, upon the receipt of this letter, I shall commence legal action against you for the unrestrained, unwarranted, malicious and reckless assault against my reputation, ” the letter reads.
