Kogi 2019 political killings: Ex-Kogi Commissioner drag APC Youth leader to Court for defamation

A former commissioner for Rural Development, Hon Daniel Oneh Ejigbo has filed an action in court against Kashim Mohammed, aka Idiye Mopol and one of his boys Mikail Mohalmed.

In an eighteen page writ of summons dated 19th December, 2022, signed by Ataguba S. Aboje Esq Legal Practitioner of A&G, the former Commissioner claimed that the defendants statements published on facebook.com on the 15th November, 2022 are false and amount to libel.

Hon. Ejigbo said the defendant accused him of being a corrupt government official who looted project monies given to him by the government.

The plaintiff was also asking among other things in the libel case, an award of 1 billion as damages to the purported action which included a perpetual order restricting him from further publication of such damaging and untrue reports pending the determination of the suit.

An award of 3,000,000 pursuant of order 39 of the Court directing the plaintiff as payment for judgement on 30% interest on the judgement fee untill it is paid off.

This demands according to the Court is pursuant of civil procedure rules of 2018.

The former Commissioner is a politically exposed person, that had defied political confrontations from opponents, hence his decision to approach the Court through a civil procedure.

Hon. Ejigbo equally said the defendant accused him of sabotage, undermining the Kogi State Government by sponsoring negative and damaging media campaigns against the government.

Hon. Daniel also said the defendant alleged that he embezzled government fund meant for development, cannot account for the money given to him as Commissioner.

While pointing out that he has suffered psychological trauma, pain, shunned and vilified by some members of the community as a corrupt public officer.

There was an online argument over who killed Peoples Democratic Party, PDP youth leader, Umoru Shaibu in Abocho on November 18th 2019 during Kogi gubernatorial election.

Umoru Shaibu was killed by armed men who drove into Abocho town with police uniforms which people believed to be fake police, Idiye Mopol accused the former Commissioner of mobilizing the police that killed the PDP youth leader.

Idiye Mopol is known by the Abocho communities of doing dirty jobs for the ruling party and the government of Dekina Local Government, the assignment that earned him being promoted from ward youth leader of Abocho to Dekina Local Government APC youths leader.

There has been several security reports on the activities of the dreaded APC youth leader, Idiye Mopol but being accused of enjoying Local Government protection due to hatchet assignments Mopol and his team are known for.

Hon Ejigbo pray the court to declare the statements about which the claimant published on Facebook as false and amount to libel.

The former Commissioner is equally seeking an order awarding N1,000,000,000 as general damages against the defendant.

Hon. Daniel is equally seeking an order to perpetually restrain the defendant from further publishing further untrue statement about the matter.

Similarly, an order directing the claimant to delete the libelous statement from his page and to publish a retraction and an apology on his Facebook page and another order awarding N3 million as cost of the action as well as awarding 30% interest per annum on the judgement sum.