Atiku Abubakar has carried out his threat to sue Lauretta Onochie, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Social Media aide, for a tweet he said is libellous.
Onochie had tweeted in May:
Atiku on UAE watchlist- Security sources
Security operatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are keeping a close tab on a former Nigerian Vice Pres Atiku Abubakar who has been in the Middle East nation for several weeks now
What is he doing there?Me: Shopping for Terrorists? pic.twitter.com/4EBccZadfi
— Lauretta Onochie (@Laurestar) May 7, 2019
In response, Atiku, filed a N2.5bn suit against Onochie before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja through his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN).
According to Punch, a statement by Ozekhome said: “to say that the claimant is shopping for terrorists knowing same to be untrue and without any foundation is not only dishonest and reckless, but is calculated and politically designed to instigate security agents against him not only in the UAE, but across the world.”
Atiku also said the tweet was “politically orchestrated solely to cause maximum damage to his high reputation while challenging the purported victory.”
He said “the defamatory publication” was also published by several newspapers nationwide and on several social media platforms.
He also said that the defamatory publication was also published by several newspapers nationwide and on several social media news and it has “clearly rubbished his image and reputation, caused him national and international backlash and embarrassment and has done incalculable damage to him.”