…Gives 7 Days Ultimatum to Retracts and tender unreserved apologies
By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
Members of Godsent Foundation have threatened to drag a Nigerian, Belgium-Base Mrs. Kate Edo Usman to court over defamatory remarks against some of their members.
Founder of the Foundation, Dr. Osarodion Osagie, through the Foundation’s Counsel, Chief (Sir) Enemhinye Ehigiator, in a notice to Mrs. Usman stated that they will have no option than to push for legal action if the false defamatory, libelous and slanderous publication against their members is not retracted and also tender unreserved apologies to these characters.
According to the notice, “There is also no gainsaying the fact that the false allegations you have leveled against our client is weighty.
“These allegations would have demanded a greater degree of circumspection, sobriety and deep reflection from you before rushing to the public domain for one who is purportedly educated.
“You are fully abreast of the legal obligation cum implication, that he who asserts has a corresponding burden to prove. Therefore the only inference to draw is that your unproven allegations were informed by a dangerously cultivated, albeit unwarranted malice against our client.
“You claim in literal terms described the foundation as a dishonest, immoral and fraudulent organization, which bring its members together for the sake of sexual promiscuity.
“Even when our client has proposed a developmental summit which focuses on ‘post-covid’ building a better economy for Edo and Nigeria with a view to ending cyber bully and defamation by Edos in the Diaspora which was held vis-a-vis our client annual event on the 29th/30th of July 2022 in Barcelona, Spain.
“Coincidentally, while the event was ongoing, you decided to embark on making malicious and defamatory “live videos’ and publications against our client and its members, even brandishing videos from the event on your “live video shows”. Your actions were premeditated to pull our client and its members down.”
Chief Ehigiator said he has his client instruction to place a demand before Mrs. Usman which must be activated with seven (7) days.
“Our client have demanded for the following; a letter of retraction/apology addressed to Amb (Dr.) Osarodion Osagie, President of the Foundation, Taju Omoruyi, Etinosa Obaseki stating that it is in respect of the false, defamatory and libelous publications by you, on several social media platforms (facebook, instagram, WhatsApp).
“Mrs. Usman did these allegations in bad faith to bring our client and its members to public ridicule, hatred and opprobrium and our client and its members especially those, whose names you specifically mentioned have been in inundated with series of phone-calls and visits by concerned friends, family members, business associates within and outside Nigeria,” the notice noted