MD of North China Construction firm drags Sahara Reporters, Sowore to court over alleged defamatory publication

A reputable and distinguished retired management staff of Zenith Bank, Dr. Osadebe Osakwe, has instituted and dragged Omoyele Sowore and the entire management of the Sahara Reporters media outfit to Ikeja High Court of Lagos State Judicial division over alleged defamatory publications.

Dr. Osadebe, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of North China Construction Nigeria, in the suit is making a claim of N250 million each from Omoyele Sowore and the Sahara Reporters media while he is also making claims as remedy for the initial defamatory publications by the said Omoyele Sowore and the Sahara Reporters as published on the 17^th day of May, 2016, through their online website and blog with obnoxious and misleading report titled: “Zenith Bank manager uses armed thugs to take land from indigenes.”

Dr. Osakwe in the claim, is also seeking the court order of perpetual injunction to restrain the aforementioned Omoyele Sowore, the Sahara Reporters team and their cohorts from making or further publishing any defamatory publications against his person or persons in whatever form or manner.

In the writ of summons, Dr. Osakwe, who is the plaintiff in his statement made available to newsmen, revealed that the culprits who are the defendants as mentioned in the publication alleged that “A crisis is brewing up between Igbodo community in Ika North East and Onicha-Ugbo in Aniocha North local government area of Delta state in which according to the report, an alleged and unfounded report of criminal activities coordinated by a manager of Zenith Bank, Osadebe Osakwe, which also in the publication, the said Osadebe Osakwe, an indigene of Onicha-Ugbo community and a manager in Zenith Bank, has allegedly been using armed thugs to seize lands from residents of Igbodo community and, according to the report, the Sahara Reporters reliably gathered that Osakwe who has used the confiscated land to establish a farm called “Adagat Agricultural Ventures Ltd” and has continuously boasted that the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and his brother, a Senior Police Officer are solidly behind his land grabbling from the people of Igbodo community for the purpose of starting a world bank farming project.”

Also, Dr. Osakwe through his lawyer, Barr. Patrick M. Odozi, told newsmen that in another publication made by Sahara Reporters on the 19^th of April, 2018 titled scandal: Gov. Okowa, Sister, SSG and others embroiled in N13.6bn Secretariat Complex Fraud” where the defendants in their publications in their website stated that “Delta state Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, his sister Ivana Shenton, then Secretary to the State Government, Festus Ovie Agas, Commissioner for Special Duties, Government House Asaba, Henry Sakpra, a former Zenith Bank manager, Osadebe Osakwe and others have been indicted in a N13.6billion fraud scandal related to a new secretariat complex being built by the state government.

Dr. Osadebe Osakwe’s lawyer in the suit is urging the court among other demands, immediate retraction of all the defamatory publications which have been made against his client by the Sahara Reporters group and to also tender an unreserved public apologies to his client and be published by the defendants through the same medium which is the Sahara Reporters website (www.saharareporters.com) as well as other social media including print media platform of the defendants choice.