Matawalle sues journalists over banditry report, demands N60bn damages

The Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawalle, has sued two northern journalists – Shu’aibu Mungadi and Tijjani Ramalan, for alleged defamation and malicious reportage and demanded N60 billion in damages.

Other defendants in the suit filed at the Kano State High Court are the employers of the two journalists, Vision Media Services Limited, Vision FM, Farin Wata Television, and Liberty Radio and TV.

In the lawsuit marked K/M2102/2024, the former Zamfara State governor is seeking N10 billion in general damages against each of the six defendants in addition to 10 percent post-judgment interest of the entire judgment sum until fully liquidated.

In an affidavit in support of the motion for interlocutory injunction sworn to by his Personal Assistant, Alhaji Masudu Abdulkadir, the minister claimed that the defendants through their media platforms made utterances and assertions that defamed his character and painted him as a sponsor of bandits.

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In the affidavit made available to journalists on Monday, Matawalle said: “That the plaintiff/applicant was the chief security officer and the executive governor of Zamfara State for four years and that during his tenure in office as the executive governor as well as chief security officer of the state, he tried and strived vigorously to tackle insecurity in all its ramification in the state.

“That from January 2024, the 3rd to 6th defendants in their respective stations, channels, pages, handles, YouTube, and programmes chaired/anchored by the 1st and 2nd defendants started televising, airing, broadcasting, posting, spreading false, libelous, injurious and defamatory statements, utterances, assertions and allegations against the person, character and reputation of the plaintiff, presenting and painting him as sponsor of bandits and banditry as well as kidnappers and kidnapping in the North-West states of Nigeria, Zamfara State inclusive.

“That the said stations, channels, pages, handles, Youtube and programmes of the 3rd to 6th defendants anchored/chaired by the 1st and 2nd defendants cut across the said North-West states and are being tuned, listened and viewed by the innocent good populous people of those states, including Kano State as well as the entire world in respect of the online stations, channels and pages of the defendants.

He urged the court to grant an order of interlocutory injunction restraining all the defendants, their officers, staff, agents, servants and employees from making further instigation, broadcasting, posting, uploading, transmitting, televising in whatever form any issue concerning him on the matter pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

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