Former Big Brother Naija housemate Neo Akpofure has demanded a public retraction and apology after a social media user posted an allegation accusing him of rape.
In a letter dated Wednesday, February 18, lawyers acting for Neo said the allegation was untrue and harmful to his reputation. The law firm, E.L. Akpofure, SAN & Co., addressed the letter to an X account identified as Arikan Udoka.
The letter was shared on Neo’s X page.
The post in question, made on Tuesday, claimed that Neo had raped Ms Udoka while they were students at the University of Calabar. It also described their past relationship as being “casual sex buddies” but said the encounter was non-consensual.
In the legal notice, Neo’s lawyers described the allegation as “entirely false, malicious and defamatory.” They said it “falsely portrays our client as a sexual offender and a criminal, thereby subjecting him to public odium, reputational injury and emotional distress.”
The notice demanded that the accuser delete the post and any related content, issue a public retraction, and publish an apology acknowledging that the claims were untrue. The legal team also asked for a written undertaking that no further defamatory statements would be made.
The letter stated that if these conditions were not met within 48 hours, the matter would be taken to court as a civil suit for defamation under Nigerian law.
There has been no public response from the person who made the post as of the time of this report.
Neo rose to fame as a housemate on the 2020 edition of Big Brother Naija. Since leaving the show, he has worked as a brand influencer and entrepreneur.