A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya (retd.), has instituted a defamation suit against Maj.-Gen. Danjuma Ali-Keffi (retd.), Arise Broadcasting Limited and Sahara Reporters Media Group.
Court documents show that the suit was filed on Wednesday at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, after the expiration of a formal demand notice served on the defendants.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by Yahaya’s spokesperson, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman (retd.), a former Director of Army Public Relations.
In the suit, Yahaya is seeking, among other reliefs, formal retractions and public apologies over publications he described as false, malicious and defamatory, as well as monetary damages of N1.5 billion and N600 million.
According to the claimant, the publications and broadcasts wrongly linked him to allegations of terrorism financing, illegal mining and banditry, which he said severely damaged his reputation, character and integrity.
Usman stated that the matter had been properly filed before the court and that all defendants had been duly served and asked to enter appearance in line with court rules.