Former Zamfara Commissioner Drags Jonathan's Ex-Aide to Court, Demands N5bn Over Defamation

• Ibrahim Dosara, a former Zamfara state commissioner, has filed a N5 billion defamation lawsuit against Jonathan's ex-aide Jackson Ude for allegedly spreading false information about him
• Dosara said Ude accused him of forgery and accepting bribes through social media, which he denied, and sought a court order for retraction
• The lawsuit also demands that the retraction and apology be published in national newspapers and online media platforms

Abuja, FCT - A former commissioner for information in Zamfara state, Hon Ibrahim Dosara, has filed a lawsuit against a former media aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Jackson Ude, for alleged defamation and fake news.

Dosara, a veteran investigative journalist, is seeking N5 billion in damages and a retraction of the allegedly defamatory publications.

The suit, filed at the High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, claimed that Ude's publications on social media platforms falsely accused Dosara of forgery and accepting bribes.

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What Ibrahim Dosara wants from court

• The claimant's counsel, Moses Ebute, SAN, is seeking the following reliefs:
• A declaration that the statements made by the defendant are libelous and defamatory
• An order directing the defendant to retract the statements and tender an unequivocal apology
• An order directing the defendant to publish the retraction and apology in two national daily newspapers and online media platforms
• N5 billion in general, aggravated, and exemplary damages

Details of allegations against Jackson Ude

Ude had allegedly published statements on his social media handle, alleging that Dosara forged the controversial document (a memo purportedly raised by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG Abubakar Nakwada, and approved by Gov Dauda Lawal Dare) for a humongous sum of money or a reconciliation project amounting to N1.3 billion.

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Ude also accused Dosara of using a hotel as an operational base and residence to create a fake organisation "where he develops press statements in praises of Matawalle or to attack anyone perceived as the enemy of Matawalle (minister of state for defence and former Zamfara state governor.”

Legit.ng notes that the Zamfara state government has denied the memo and accused the opposition of masterminding it.

Dosara denied Ude's allegations, stating that they were libellous and defamatory.

The claimant's counsel applied for substituted service because the defendant's address could not be identified.

Matawalle sends message to political rivals

In other news, Muhammad Bello Matawalle, the minister of state for defence, has warned his political rivals to stop associating him with the activities of the state's fugitive bandit leader Bello Turji.

In a statement released on Sunday, July 21, from the minister's office, Matawalle accused certain factions within the Zamfara state government of distorting the narrative regarding security issues in the region to cast him in a negative light.

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Matawalle's response came in reaction to a widely circulated audio-visual clip on social media suggesting a connection between him and banditry in Zamfara state.

Source: Legit.ng