Alleged Defamation: Atiku threatens to file 2 Billion compensation lawsuit against Buhari’s aide

Atiku Abubakar has threatened a lawsuit against a media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, demanding a retraction and compensation over a social media post he considers defamatory.

Mr Abubakar’s lawyers wrote to a letter to Lauretta Onochie on May 14, asking her to retract her post or face legal action.

The letter went out a week after Ms Onochie, a social media assistant at the State House, wrote on tweeter that the former vice president and opposition leader had been put on a terrorist watchlist in the United Arab Emirates.

Ms Onochie said Mr Abubakar, who regularly visits Dubai for work and leisure, had been “shopping for terrorists” since he travelled to the Middle-Eastern nation in May.

The comments has however drawn a flurry of social media bickering between supporters of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Abubakar’s lawyers, Mike Ozekhome’s Chambers, said Ms Onochie’s “odious” tweet had caused the former vice-president “unspeakable odium, obloquy, hatred, ridicule and psychological trauma.”

The lawyers gave Ms Onochie an ultimatum of 48 hours to retract the tweet, which was still live as of 9:06 a.m. on Monday (Today). 

She was also asked to pay N500 million to Mr Abubakar as compensation, Failure to comply will result in a lawsuit that will demand N2 billion for aggravated and punitive damages against the presidential aide, the lawyers said.

As at the time of this report, VOICE OF YALA  noticed that MS Onochie has continued to make publications which are demeaning to the person of Atiku Abubakar, her latest which is a tweet linking the killings in the country to the former vice president.

VOICE OF YALA  is yet to confirm MS Onochie's receipt of the letter from Atiku's legal team.