By Saidu Idris
365Daily – Lawyers to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, have warned the media, social media users and the general public, about the consequences of publishing, sharing or reposting what they described as mischievous lies and libelous stories about his alleged complicity in the ill-fated Ikoyi, Lagos, collapsed building.
Since the recent tragic collapse of the multi-storey luxury building in Lagos, the Vice President has been battling to extricate his name from allegations that he has an interest in the collapsed building.
In an apparent response to the controversy, Professor Osinbajo’s lawyers, in a statement signed by Ebun-Olu Adegberuwa (SAN), implored the media “not to yield its noble platforms for the “dissemination of any libellous publication of and concerning our Client, henceforth.”
The statement went further to state: “We are solicitors to His Excellency, the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON (‘our Client’), on whose instruction we write, in respect of the above subject matter. We have the mandate of our Client to draw your esteemed attention to certain publications of and concerning him, in respect of the 21-storey building that recently collapsed in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
“These publications, believed to have been sponsored by faceless individuals and entities to tarnish the good name and reputation of our Client, claim most spuriously, that our Client is connected with the said building, one way or the other, without any scintilla of proof. For the records, our Client is not involved in, associated or connected with the ownership or development of the collapsed building, in any manner whatsoever.
“This notice has thus become necessary, partly to explain the legal consequences of fabricating falsehood and unsubstantiated negative reports, of and concerning our Client. In law, liability for libellous publications is not limited to the original author or publisher thereof, but it also extends to and includes all those who, out of sheer ignorance, mischief or malice, or all, cause any libellous publication to be repeated, reposted or re-published, either personally or through any platform for which they have control.
“Accordingly, we have the instructions of our Client to compile and preserve the particulars of anyone found to have published, re-published or endorsed or consented to the publication, distribution or circulation of any libellous material, of and concerning him, for the purpose of commencing civil actions in court, in any jurisdiction where such publication occurs.”