Suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Betta Edu is threatening to institute a $50 million libel suit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) over a recent report on its website.
In a letter to the BBC on April 9, 2024 by Ojukwu Chikaosolu and Co Law firm, Edu demanded retraction of the report stating It put her in a bad light.
The law firm said the report titled: “Betta Edu probe: Nigeria recovers $ 24 m in Poverty Minister investigation- EFCC” was tweaked to make the Minister appear guilty of corruption.
It stated Edu has neither been indicted nor found culpable of any act of financial impropriety, adding neither N30 billion nor any amount whatsoever has been traced to or recovered from Edu’s bank accounts.
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The firm insisted no proceed of crime has been traced or recovered from her to warrant the scurrilous article under reference.
It demanded retraction of the story as well as an apology to Edu failing which a libel suit will be instituted against the media organisation.
“Should BBC fail and/or neglect to comply with the above demands, Edu has vowed to initiate swift legal action(s) before the appropriate Courts to obtain redress for the alleged injurious falsehood peddled in the BBC’s article, and to seek punitive and exemplary damages for $50 million against the BBC for the damage and injury suffered by her.
“Recall that BBC recently published an article on its website: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-Africa (Last accessed on 9th April 2024 at 17:40 GMT) titled: “Betta Edu Probe: Nigeria Recover $ 24 m in Poverty Minister Investigation- EFCC” with the sub-heading “Nigeria Has Recovered 30bn Naira ($24m; £19m) as Part of an Ongoing Corruption probe Into a Suspended Minister, the Financial Watchdog Says”.
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“The aforesaid article, which presents information purporting to relate to an ongoing corruption probe into the activities of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria, is replete with innuendoes and insinuations which suggest that N30 billion has been recovered in the course of the ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from her and that the 50 bank accounts connected with the recovered sums are linked to her.
(The Nation)