Defamation: Nigerian Newspaper employees sue management for N10 billion

Six employees of the Leadership Group Limited have dragged their
employers to court demanding N10billion from it for defamation
following publications describing as thieves.

The company had at different dates this month published the
names of Olusunle John, Hannatu Dickson, Gloria Raphael, Onyinyechi
Ogbonna, Yusuf Adebayo and Gloria Okwum declaring them wanted.

The publication read: “The under-listed individuals have stolen
money belonging to LEADERSHIP. Anyone with information about their
whereabouts should report to the nearest police station.

“LEADERSHIP has been a victim of massive theft both within and
outside the organisation and investigations are still going on.

“More names and photographs of persons within and outside the
organisation who are implicated would be added to this list from
time to time.”

The plaintiffs, in court processes filed on Dec. 24 at the
National Industrial Court, Abuja, demanded N10 billion compensation
from Leadership Newspaper for the defamatory publication.

The plaintiffs, through their lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi &
Co., are seeking an immediate retraction of the said publication
and a public apology by the newspaper for five consecutive working
days.

Olajengbesi had on Dec. 22 written to the organisation to
retract the publication against his clients within 24 hours or face
legal battle, emphasising that only a law court had powers to
convict anyone of crime.

“Our Clients unequivocally and emphatically deny all limbs and
substance of the allegation contained in the said publication as
same is untrue, unfounded, unwarranted and malicious.

“The said publication is clearly calculated to reduce the
estimation of our clients in the eyes of right-thinking members of
the society.

“For the records, and in re-stating the obvious, our clients are
lawfully engaged members of your staff entitled to monthly salary
which your company has not been able to pay for over 36 months and
in some cases 12 months.

“Yet, our clients’ diligence and outstanding performances in the
above regard have earned them promotions, evidenced by letters of
promotions from your company, as an indication of your wholehearted
satisfaction with the services rendered to your company by our
clients till date.

“It is in the course of our clients’ diligent duties to your
company that they secured advert placements from some members of
the public who in some circumstances made part payments upfront as
a form of commitment for advert placements, a gesture which your
company ratified and acted on severally and even commenced the said
adverts.

“This has also been justified in a series of memos issued to our
clients by your company identifying the need to reconcile advert
debts and also requesting for modality for payment,” Olajengbesi
letter read.

Mr Jonathan Nda-Isaiah, a member of the Editorial Board,
Leadership Newspaper told NAN that the employees in question
converted into personal use huge amount of adverts money paid to
them by clients.

“I am not aware they went to court; I only know that the
employees in question diverted advert money but it’s the HR people
or the MD that can speak on it,” he said.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the organisation, Mr
Muazu Elazeh said that he has yet to see the court papers but would
mandate their lawyer to follow up the matter.

“I am just hearing this from you, I have not seen any court
paper and they have not served me; I have not seen it. I will call
our lawyer to know if she has been served but I have not seen and
nobody served me.

“I cannot respond to what I have not seen; I think the normal
thing is for me to see it first before I start responding, I am
just hearing it from you now,” Elazeh said.