An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has dismissed a case of alleged defamation brought before it by Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo (Sunday Igboho), against the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams.
In the case, with Suit No: I/406/2024, filed in 2024, Igboho prayed for an order compelling the defendant to pay N500 million as aggravated damages over a leaked audio conversation, which he claimed rubbished his reputation.
Among other prayers, Igboho sought, “a declaration that the content of the audio clip between the defendant (Adams) and a third party named Nuru Banjo that took place sometime in November, 2021 and further published on all new media platforms, including youtube, is slanderous, libelous and defamatory.”
However, delivering her judgement in the high-profile legal battle, Justice Olusola Adetujoye, presiding at High Court 11, Ring Road, Ibadan, dismissed the case based on the Adams’ Notice of Preliminary Objection by his counsel, Tunji Ogunrinde, SAN.
Ogunrinde had questioned the competence and validity of the suit filed by Igboho, arguing that the claimant’s suit was unsustainable, having failed to follow proper procedures in initiating court actions.
After reviewing the arguments and documents before the court, Justice Adetujoye ruled that the claimant’s action suffered from fundamental defects, rendering it legally unsustainable.
The court, therefore, dismissed the suit in its entirety, effectively ending the matter at the trial court level.
The judgement marked a significant turn in the defamation case, which had generated widespread public interest since it was filed.
