Alleged Ship Robbery: Firm Threatens N2bn Defamation Suit Against Dutch Firm

Indigenous Shipping firm, NUE Offshore Resources Nigeria Limited has threatened to slam a N2 billion defamation suit against Damen Charter International over publication alleging that its managing director, Uyi Igbinigie, was involved in alleged ship robbery.
In a letter titled, ‘Libellous Publication, Imputation of Crime and Cyber Troll: Urgent need for retraction, compensation and public Apology,’ which was signed by its Counsel, Barr. Nwugha ThankGod, the company demanded a written retraction within three days from the Dutch firm.

The law firm also demanded a public apology personally signed by the managing director of Damen Charter International, saying the publication portrayed its client and his company as criminals.
The letter read: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication of February, Monday 12, 2024, on the pages of newspapers entitled, ‘Firm petitions IGP, accuses NUE offshore of ship robbery.’ The publication was caused by your firm.
“The text of the said publication, which was also partly published online are thus, ‘A Dutch defence, shipbuilding, and engineering group has sent a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr Kayode Egbetokun, accusing NUE offshore Resources limited, a company based in Lagos, and its managing director, Uyi Igbinigie of armed robbery against its ship anchored at the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Jetty in Warri, Delta State.

“The petition, dated 4 February 2024, was submitted to the office of the Inspector General of Police on 5 February 2024 on behalf of Damen Charter International by its solicitors, Adepetun, Caxton-Martins, Agbor & Segun. A copy of the petition, titled: “Report of a case of armed robbery against one Mr. Uyi Igbinigie and NUE Offshore Limited”, sighted by Newspapers, stated that the ship robbery incident took place on February 2, 2024.”‘

The firm counsel, Barr. Nwugha said the Dutch firm publication contained disparaging strictures and innuendo directed at its client and his company, NUE Offshore Resources Limited.
He stated further that, the publication has a libellous imputation of crime capable of disparaging, denigrating, besmirching and impugning its client’s honour, integrity and respectability.
According to the counsel, apart from several newspapers in which the publication was replicated, the internet and several social media have been awash and inundated with Damen’s publication in such a manner that could rightly be described as cyberbullying and trolling with attending psychology tremor.

“Our client is a responsible and respectable man, a committed Christian, a husband, father as well as mentor to several young men and women who look up to him as a role model. By sheer dint of hard work and corporate wizardry, our client promoted, super-intended and nurtured NUE offshore resources Ltd which is now a major player in the Nigerian Maritime industry with over 400 Nigerians in its employment.
“Needless to say, that your publication was actuated by malice and utmost bad faith and to fan the embers of it all, is your brazen suppression/concealment of notorious facts which ought to have exposed the mendacity of your arrant claims; that our client is in lawful and peaceable possession, custody and use of the ship MV NUE SWIFT (IMO 6050675) by virtue of an order of court of competent jurisdiction Coram Hon. Justice Akintoye Aluko, made on the 27/11/2023 in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/2414/2023 Between NUE Offshore Resources Limited and Damen Charter International 12 BV.l,” the Counsel explained.

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The counsel said, the suit in which “your company is a defendant is still pending and subsisting and was last called up on the 13/02/2024 with your company fully represented by a counsel. That as of the date of your rather obscene publication, the said order of court was still subsisting having not been vacated by the judge.

“That your publication which is, to say mildly, mischievous, callous, outrageous, obscene and typically premeditated to deceive members of the public and portray our client and his company as criminals with the aim of inciting the Nigerian state against them.”