Well known for DEFAMING his former pal ALiko Dangote during the Dangote Otedola Wars He even sponsored a Website dedicated to this purpose former www.factsnigeria.com and provided funded adverts on websites round nigeria .Now he has through our law courts detainded two persons for defamation ! READ ON AND BLOGGERS BEWARE YOUI COULD BE NEXT !
An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court on Tuesday remanded two suspects to Kuje Maximum Prison for allegedly defaming the character of Femi Otedola, the executive chairman of African Petroleum (AP).
The suspects, Clement Aviomoh, suspended Executive Director of the company in charge of finance, information and technology, and Sunday Esan, were jointly accused of defamation of character after they published several reports in newspapers across the country in July and August accusing Mr. Otedola of milking AP for the past two years.
Police First Information Report (FIR) said Mr. Otedola had on October 19 2010, through a direct criminal complaint to the Chief Magistrate, Abuja, which was referred to the Inspector-General of Police for investigation, reported that the suspects had in July and August, cause to be published in many national newspapers, a defamatory publication which maligned his reputation and integrity.
"That in July and August 2010, you Aviomoh Clement (m) and Sunday Esan (m), while acting in concert and in furtherance of a common intention to defame, embarrass, and maliciously cause serious harm to the reputation of the Executive Chairman of African Petroleum, Mr. Femi Otedola, published in News Star of Monday 2 - Tuesday 3 August 2010 on page 10-13; Compass Newspaper of August 1 2010 on page 47; News of the People of August 16-23, 2010 edition on page 13-16; First Weekly Newspaper of August 15, 2010 on page 29-32; and on page 2-6 of a book with the caption: "How Otedola is killing AP".
"You published that Mr. Femi Otedola has been using his companies, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Company Limited, Platinum Fleet Limited, and Fineshade Energy Limited to sell products to African Petroleum at inflated prices," read a police report.
"[In] the said publication, which you know or had reasons to believe to be false, you portrayed Mr. Femi Otedola as a corrupt and fraudulent person. You thereby committed the above mentioned offences," the statement read...
Although the suspects, who were arraigned before Chief Magistrate, Hasfat Sadiq Toso, pleaded not guilty, they were, however, remanded in prison after their oral application for bail was refused.
Mkerewen Akpan, lawyer to the suspects, had moved an oral application asking the court to grant his clients bail. But in opposing the application for bail, the prosecution lawyer, Simon Lough, urged the court to refuse the application on the ground that no sufficient materials have been placed before the court by the suspects to enable the court exercise its discretion.
Delivering her ruling, Justice Toso agreed with Mr. Lough and adjourned the case until December 21 for hearing.
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