The Benue State Government has demanded N5 billion in damages from the publishers of New Telegraph Newspaper.
This follows a news report referred to as a defamatory publication against Governor Hyacinth Alia of the state.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kula Tersoo, and made available to journalists in Makurdi on Thursday, said that the Benue State government also demanded that the paper retract the story.
The online edition of the New Telegraph Newspaper published a story on Monday, December 11, 2023, with the caption ‘2027: Alia joins forces with Rotimi Amaechi …donates Lexus LX 600 SUV to foster transportation minister.’
According to Tersoo, Fidelis Mnyim, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, described the said publication as ‘false and fabricated.’
He added that the report was done to demean the character of the governor and to paint him badly as someone using state funds to offer gratification and compensation for personal favors.
According to the statement, the defamatory story had made the governor to appear as someone who is insensitive to the plight of the Benue people and party men who supported and voted him into office on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
The statement read in parts, “The publication made available online portrayed our client as an unprofessional, unprincipled, unethical, and dishonourable, unreasonable and prejudiced public officer who is insensitive, indifferent, and apathetic to the plight of the Benue people and party men who supported and voted him into office as the Governor of Benue State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
“The said publication was with a clear intent and motive to vilify, malign, denigrate, disparage and defame our client and portray him in bad light in the eyes of reasonable members of the public, especially to incite the Benue people, members of the All Progressives Congress and the general public against our client.
“The publication was made in an invidious, unpleasant, insidious, sinister and treacherous manner and it has inflicted and caused grievous pains, shock, anguish, psychological torture and trauma, humiliation, degradation, dishonor, embarrassment and dehumanisation of our client, and reviling and holding our client up to public obloquy, lowering him in the estimation of the public, and exposing him to disgrace, dishonour and contempt.”
The CPS added in the statement that the Commissioner for Justice stated that the report was done in total disregard for the Code of Ethics for Nigerian journalists and is injurious to the person of the governor and the government of the state, especially as the governor is someone who is seen as a noble man of sound character, who commands respect in his spheres of influence.
While calling for the withdrawal of the publication, he also demanded that apology be published in the newspaper within the next 24 hours as well as payment of N5billion as compensation for the injurious publication.
Failure to do these, he said, would attract a court action.
“On account of the foregoing, our client has instructed us to request and or demand, and we do hereby perfect those instructions, that: (a) You withdraw the offensive publication forthwith accompanied by a clear and unqualified apology to be published conspicuously in the next issue of your publication. (b) You pay compensation to our client in the total sum of N5 billion only for the damage caused to our client’s reputation, integrity and character. (c) You are to act within 24 hours of the receipt of this letter.
“Take notice that if our client’s demands herein are not addressed, resolved or fulfilled within the time prescribed, our client shall be at liberty to seek redress in a court of law, in accordance with the remedies outlined above, without further recourse to you,” the statement read in part.