Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar

Malami, SAN has written and served to the inspector General of police

against Mr. Omoyele Sowore/Sahara reporters inc. for malicious libel

and criminal defamation against Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN.

A Statement from Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and

Minister of Justice signed by Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Special

Assistant on Media and Public Relations said lawyers of Malami, S. I

Ameh (SAN) & Co wrote to the Inspector General of Police. The content

of the letter reads in part:

“We are the Solicitors to Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN (hereinafter

referred to as Mr. Malami/our Client), a foremost and successful legal

practitioner, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and the current Chief Law

Officer of the Federation cum Attorney General of the Federation and

Minister of Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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1.     For the records Sir, Mr. Malami is a second-term Attorney General

of the Federation and Minister of Justice who has been returned due to

his exemplar leadership of the Anti-Corruption program of the

administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Under the supervision of

Mr. Malami as Attorney General, the extant National Anti-Corruption

The strategy was conceived, designed, approved by the Federal Executive

Council and is currently being implemented.  Mr. Malami’s

re-appointment as Attorney General is first of its kind, and to our

mind, a testimony of his unparalleled performance in Office,

especially in driving the Anti-Corruption agenda of the Government

among others.

2.     Mr. Omoyele Sowore is the publisher of an online Media outfit-

Sahara Reporters Inc., a company based in New York, USA but broadcasts

news and other information on the internet via Facebook, Twitter,

WhatsApp and other similar Social Media Platforms where the same could be

viewed and assessed by the whole world and further shared and/or

disseminated virally without restraint.

3.     On the 10th, 11th and 12th of July 2020, Mr. Sowore/Sahara

Reporters, in what appears like a coordinated attack, viciously inter

Alia wrote and maliciously published.

4.     In sum, the libelous publications contained direct allegations and

inuendos  … Notwithstanding that the stories untrue and false; Mr.

Sowore/Sahara Reporters published the defamatory articles in the issue

mala fide, with the intention to ridicule our Client before the whole

world.

5.     Our Client has since the 10th of July 2020 when the malicious

criminal libel was first published, received and still receives

several telephone calls and visits from well-meaning Nigerians, his

friends, well-wishers, and associates from all over the world including

those he has dealt with/still dealing with in his Official Capacity as

Nigeria’s Chief Law Office many of whom have expressed serious

concerns as to his alleged conduct as reported by Sahara Reporters..

6.     The criminal libel published against our Client by Mr.

Sowore/Sahara Reporters was calculated to disparage our Client who is

a responsible citizen, foremost Legal Practitioner, Senior Advocate of

Nigeria and the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and

Minister of Justice, in order to bring him into hatred, ridicule,

odium and contempt before a large number of Nigerian citizens in their

millions and others worldwide and to lower his estimation in the eyes

of right-thinking persons. …

7.     “The Inspector-General may also note that, as it is their custom,

Mr. Sowore/Sahara Reporters are in the habit of publishing libelous

articles against innocent Nigerians- most of which has turned out to

be false, and had published a similar libelous article against our

Client in the past which led to the institution of a defamation suit

against…. Sample fake publications earlier published by Mr.

Sowore/Sahara Reporters which can be assessed at saharareporters.com

are attached herewith as Annexure for ease of reference.

8.     Sir, in the premise of the foregoing and given that the publication

of malicious libel and criminal defamation published against our

Client by Mr. Sowore/Sahara Reporters was with a view to disparage him

in the eyes of right-thinking persons, contrary to Nigerian Criminal

and Penal Laws and a gross violation of our Client’s Right to Dignity

of Human Person as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the

The Federal Republic of Nigeria  (As amended),  we hereby humbly appeal

that you use your good offices to investigate the criminal acts

perpetrated by Mr. Sowore/Sahara Reporters as implicated in this

The petition so that the Law can take its course against anyone found

culpable. Our Client deserves justice!

Similarly, the Attorney-General of the Federation has written and

served the publishers of Sahara Reporters. The letter was  titled

RE: PUBLICATIONS OF MALICIOUS LIBEL AND CRIMINAL DEFAMATION AGAINST

1. ABUBAKAR MALAMI, SAN BY SAHARA REPORTERS INC.

“ In the premise of the foregoing and given that the publication of

malicious libel and criminal defamation published against our Client

by Sahara Reporters was with a view to disparage him in the eyes of

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right-thinking persons, contrary to Nigerian Criminal  and Penal Laws

and a gross violation of our Client’s Right to Dignity of Human Person

as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of

Nigeria  (As amended),  TAKE NOTICE that you are hereby issued a -7

day ultimatum to retract all the libelous and criminally defamatory

publications, and cause to be issued a  public apology to be published

on your platform  and on the front page of three Newspapers with

Nationwide circulation for three consecutive days failing which we

shall be left with no other option than to allow the Law to take its

course against your organization