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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- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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..
- 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. …
- “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.
- 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
- 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
