Pharmacist Accused Of Masterminding Boss’ Kidnap Files N250m Libel Suit
For falsely accusing him of complicity in the kidnap of the Managing Director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals, Donatus Dunu, Emeka Egbulugha, a pharmacist, has slammed a N250 million libel suit against his former employers before a Lagos High Court in Igbosere.
Egbulugha is praying the court to award him the sum as damages jointly and severally incurred for the malicious publication.
Joined as defendants in the suit are Maydon Pharmaceuticals Limited, Donatus Dunu, Pharma News Limited and Vintage Press Limited.
In the Statement of Claim attached to the suit, Egbulugha is claiming N200 million damages from the first and second defendants jointly and severally for being falsely accused in the published false and malicious news reports which accused him of being an informant to the deadly kidnap gang led by Chukwudumeje Onwuamadike, alias Evans.
The plaintiff is also seeking to be paid N30million for damages from Pharma News Limited, the publisher of Pharma News magazine and PharmaTimes online, and N20million damages from Vintage Press Limited, the publisher of The Nation Newspapers, as damages for libel.
He urged the court to, among other things, direct the defendants to retract the contents of their various publications using at least three national dailies and tender an unreserved written apology to him.
Pharmacist Emeka Egbulugha was employed as a Medical Representative of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Limited in 2013 and rose to the post of Superintendent Pharmacist in 2014. All was well until May 12, 2017, when some men of the Nigerian Police from Ilupeju Police Station Lagos, acting on the complaint of his boss (Mr. Dunu) arrested him at his Ilupeju office on the false allegation that he was an informant of the deadly kidnap gang led by Evans that kidnapped Mr. Dunu on February 14, 2017.
News reports about the malicious allegation went viral after Emeka’s former boss (Mr. Dunu), regained freedom after paying about N150million ransom to the kidnappers, and subsequently granted press interviews to Vanguard Newspapers.
In the news reports widely published by many national news media, Mr. Dunu alleged how on several occasions, while in the captivity of his abductors, he overheard Emeka’s voice discussing with members of the kidnap gang keeping watch over him and even asking them to kill him as he had signed the necessary documents for goods worth over N7 million naira.
In the interviews he granted to journalists, Mr. Dunu claimed that he miraculously escaped on the very night the gang had concluded arrangement to kill him on Emeka’s instruction.
Egbulugha was taken to the Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Cultism Office, Panti, Surulere Annex, Lagos, where he was detained for 40 days before he was granted bail by a Yaba Chief Magistrate Court, Lagos.
While the case lasted, Evans and his gang members were arrested and later paraded publicly on Sunday, June 11, 2017, at the Ikeja headquarters of the Lagos State Police Command.
The Solicitor to the Claimant, Mr. Benson Akunya, told our correspondent that the Police Officers subsequently paraded Mr. Egbulugha before Evans and his gang members for possible identification.
“But both Evans and his gang members told the Police that they did not know Mr. Egbulugha and never set their eyes on him or had any link with the Pharmacist. They also told the Police that their informant was a certain Baba Eko, said to have been on the run, but now apprehended and is facing trial along with Evans and his gang members.
“Based on this evidence, the Yaba Chief Magistrate Court struck out the case and discharged Egbulugha after counsel to the Police absolved him of any complicity in the kidnap of Mr. Donatus Dunu.”
Akunya said that the defendants were served the Claimant’s Solicitor’s letters dated 26 July 2017, demanding a retraction and compensation for the Claimant by courier service and that through a letter on August 21, 2017, Counsel to the third defendant (Pharma News), made moves for settlement after admitting publishing defamatory stories against his client.
On why he singled out two media houses for litigation, Akunya said that the two news media did the most devastating damage to the personality of his client, adding that the court processes had been duly served on the defendants by a sheriff of the court and the case would soon be fixed for hearing.
