Alleged Defamation: Banire Sends Pre-action Notice To Pointblank News, Demands N500m

A life Bencher and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr Muiz Banire, has written a pre-action letter of claim to the Publisher of Pointblank News, Jackson Ude.

In the letter, the SAN, through his Counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, is seeking N500m damages for an alleged libellous publication by the online news platform.

Olumide-Fusika said a letter dated January 18 was written to the publisher, asking him to retract the libellous publication, but the publisher failed to respond.

According to him, Ude has 21 days to respond to the letter of claim dated February 3, 2026

Olumide-Fusika, in the letter wrote, “As you have not responded to the request outlined in my letter dated January 18, 2026, concerning your publication referenced above, | am instructed to initiate legal proceedings against you and your publication, both individually and collectively, on grounds of defamation. Please consider this correspondence as a formal pre-action letter of claim”.

He said, “ Other than that the Claimant was engaged by the owners and directors of Nestoil Limited to appear as counsel for the company in certain proceedings concerning and involving the company before different strata of Nigeria’s court system, the words complained of are false in every material particular. It is untrue that the Claimant (either by himself alone or together with any other lawyer or person): was “mobilised and… paid $40million … to obtain a favourable judgement at the apex court in a case of S2billion debt owed consortium of Banks; used a similar “scheme…at the Federal High Court” and “collected $5million to vacate an order restraining Nestoil Limited and its affiliates from tampering with their assets following a $1billion debt”, and was part of a scheme “to arm-twist the judiciary” against the cause of justice in the said cases….”

The Counsel said that, despite knowing the report was untrue, Ode had decided to ignore the initial letter written to him.

Olumide-Fusika added, “Although there is nothing to be gained by repeating what you surely know, I say emphatically that my client did not by himself or jointly with any lawyer(s) collect any such money from any client(s) in furtherance of a conspiracy or compact to purchase a favourable decision or ruling from any Court, justice(s) or judge{s), or by any other way or means to pervert the cause of justice.

“Please note that you are required to provide a full response to this Letter of Claim within 14 days of (but not later than 21 days after) its service on you (by email to your respective publicly disclosed and advertised email addresses, as stated at the top of this letter). The Response required from you must include whether or to what extent you accept or reject or require more information on the claim.

“In case of acceptance, an indication of which of the remedies you are willing to offer, if more information is required, then the specification of such information, and if the claim is rejected, then your reasons and explanation for the rejection. Your response may also include the meaning(s) you attribute to the words complained of, if different from the imputation alleged on claimant’s part”.