Linda Ikeji sued for 1 billion naira by Neo Black Movement over alleged libellous publication

The Neo Black Movement (NBM) of Africa’s Registered Trustees and others have filed a lawsuit against Ms. Linda Ikeji for allegedly publishing libellous material about them on her web blog.

The suit marked: EHC/210/2021 is before justice Roli Daibo-Harriman of the Delta High Court, Effurun. Ms. Ikeji, who is the sole defendant in the suit was in court yesterday for the trial. Other claimants in the suit include; Ese Kakor, Felix Kupa and Mayor Onyebueke.

The plaintiffs, through their lawyer, demanded N1 billion in damages, as well as an apology published on her blog and in two national newspapers.

According to the claimants’ lawyer, Kelvin Agbroko, On October 19, 2021, Ms Ikeji published an article in her blog which defamed his clients.

• He said in the said publication, Ms Ikeji allegedly referred to them as “Black Axe” calling them criminals.
• Speaking further he said, “When my clients got wind of the publication, they consulted me and we put up a demand letter of retraction and apology. But she neglected and refused to do the needful.
• “After several reminders and upon expiration of the letters, the organisation decided that a libel suit be filed against her.
• “This suit will be an eye-opener to all bloggers who do not verify facts before publishing. When the trial starts, the whole details will be unfolded.”
• The matter first came up on Jan. 24, and she has failed to put up appearances and a defence. The matter has had three adjournments.

When the case was heard on Friday, Ms Ikeji’s lawyer, Confidence Garuba, told the court that her client had only learned of the case through social media on Thursday night.

She requested an adjournment from the court so that they may file an application for a time extension to file their statement of defense.

The plaintiffs’ counsel responded by telling the court that he had proof of service documentation that showed when the process was served on the defendant.

In her decision on the plea, Justice Daibo-Harriman delayed the case until May 27 to allow the defendants to file and advance their application for an extension of time to file their statements of defense.

Linda Ifeoma Ikeji is a Nigerian blogger, writer, entrepreneur, former model, and arguably the richest blogger from Africa with an estimated net worth of $45 million dollars. Linda’s major source of wealth and income comes from her worldwide popular blog, real estate investments, and various other media-related businesses.