Matawalle sues journalists, demands N60bn damages over alleged defamation

The Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawalle, has filed a lawsuit against two prominent northern journalists, Shu’aibu Mungadi and Tijjani Ramalan, accusing them of defamation and malicious reporting.

The suit, marked K/M2102/2024 and dated October 25, seeks ₦10 billion in general damages from each of the six defendants, along with a 10% post-judgment interest on the total sum until it is fully paid.

The additional defendants include the journalists’ employers: Vision Media Services Ltd, Vision FM, Farin Wata Television, and Liberty Radio and TV.

In an affidavit submitted by Alhaji Masudu Abdulkadir, the Minister’s personal assistant, Matawalle alleged that the defendants used their media platforms to broadcast content portraying him as a sponsor of bandits. These claims, according to the affidavit, were baseless and aimed at tarnishing the Minister’s reputation.

The Minister is also seeking an interlocutory injunction to prevent the defendants from further publishing defamatory content about him pending the court’s final judgment.

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The deponent deposed saying “That the plaintiff/applicant was the chief security officer and the executive governor of Zamfara State for four years and that during his tenure in office as the executive governor as well as chief security officer of the state, he tried and strived vigorously to tackle insecurity in all its ramification in the state.

“That from January 2024, the 3rd to 6th defendants in their respective stations, channels, pages, handles, YouTube and programmes chaired/anchored by the 1st and 2nd defendants started televising, airing, broadcasting, posting, spreading false, libelous, injurious and defamatory statements, utterances, assertions and allegations against the person, character and reputation of the plaintiff, presenting and painting him as sponsor of bandits and banditry as well as kidnappers and kidnapping in the North-West states of Nigeria, Zamfara State inclusive.

“That the said stations, channels, pages, handles, Youtube and programmes of the 3rd to 6th defendants anchored/chaired by the 1st and 2nd defendants cut across the said North-West states and are being tuned, listened and viewed by the innocent good populous people of those states, including Kano State as well as the entire world in respect of the online stations, channels and pages of the defendants.”

While undertaking that the plaintiff will pay damages in the event that the substantive suit turns out to be frivolous, the deponent contended that “unless restrained pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit, the defendants will continue injuring and assassinating the character and reputation of the plaintiff.”

In the motion on notice filed by Umar Said of Umar and Umar chambers, which is before Justice Musa Ahmad of Kano State High Court, Bichi Division, Matawalle is praying the court for “an order of interlocutory injunction restraining all the defendants, their officers, staff, agents, servants and employees from making further instigation, insinuation airing, broadcasting, posting, uploading, transmitting, televising in whatever form any issue concerning, relating or regarding the plaintiff and his office as per the facts of this suit, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”

Also, in a concurrent writ of summons, the plaintiff’s counsel prayed the court for “a declaration that the allegations, statements, utterances and assertions made by the defendants repeatedly against the plaintiff at their various programmes and posting from January 2024 to date, aired, televised, posted and broadcast by them at their respective stations, channels, handles and YouTubes as per the facts of this suit constitute defamation of the plaintiff and his person, character and reputation.”

Other reliefs sought by the plaintiff include, “An order of perpetual injunction, restraining the defendants, their agents, assigns or proxies among others in whatever name or description acting on their behalf, instruction or instance from further defaming the person of the plaintiff and his reputation.

“An order of the court directing the defendants to tender type-written apology to the plaintiff for the said defamation of his person, character and reputation and same apology shall bear and contain a retraction of the said defamatory statements, utterances, allegations, posting and assertions against the plaintiff and shall be published conspicuously part of two newspapers (local and nationwide).”

The court has fixed m December 12, 2024 for hearing.

Matawalle’s suit comes shortly after a group within the All Progressives Congress known as Akida Forum, called for a thorough investigation of the minister of state over the rising insecurity in North-West states.

The group, which protested at the headquarters of the Department of State Services, urged the security agency to conduct an independent investigation into the alleged connection between Matawalle and some bandits.

A similar similar call was made by the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, who urged Matawalle to resign from his ministerial position to clear his name.

Lawal also said he had “formally reported the minister to the National Security Adviser and President Tinubu and presented some facts to them.”

But Matawalle has repeatedly denied all the allegations of his links with bandits.

(Punch)