Nigerian socialite, Obinna Iyiegbu, alias Obi Cubana, has filed a N1bn suit against a Lagos-based publishing company before an FCT High Court over alleged defamation.
In the suit filed on April 27 by his lawyer, Adam Osigwe (SAN), Obi Cubana is seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves, agents, third party, media outfits etc from publishing, advertising, promoting, distributing, circulating and serializing the news article, which is the subject matter of the suit on the internet, social media, Facebook and other social platforms, containing allegations and insinuations that he is involved in drug trafficking.
Cubana said he has suffered several losses as a result of the publication of April 26, 2022, titled: ‘Court Orders Banks to Freeze Suspected Drug Barons’ Accounts’ which portrayed him as a drug baron whose bank accounts have been frozen by the orders of a Federal High Court in Lagos.
He said the publishers ‘maliciously’ placed his photography in the story as one of the drug barons mentioned in the report when the story has absolutely nothing to do with him.
Those joined as defendants in the suit are David Odey, Arinze Alinnor, Funsho Arogundade, Cyriacus Izulekwe, and Taiwo Adelu.
According to him, “Defendants’ publication made using claimant’s picture was calculated to injure claimant’s reputation, by exposing him to hatred, contempt, ridicule.”
No date has been fixed for hearing.
