Etuk/Akpabio’s Saga: Senator Etok Slams N500 Million Legal Suit On Governor Akapabio’s Media Consultant
The Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District, Senator Aloysius Akpan Etok, has slammed a Five Hundred Million Naira (N500,000,000.00) legal suit on media consultant to Governor Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Emmanuel Nicholas, popularly called White Bom-Bom.
Senator Etok’s Attorney, James Essien & Co., in a court order dated May 20, 2013, held that the screaming headline: “Aloysius Etok Descending to Political Abyss” by Emmanuel Nicholas, published on a number of local tabloids in Akwa Ibom was libelous and defamatory, demanding retraction of the said story and unreserved apology to the distinguished Senator.
“Upon closer scrutiny, we have come to the inescapable conclusion that you and the publishers of this article are more determined to put tar on the image of our client by accusing him of murder of the Ukpabio sons who were reportedly killed last year in Mbente village on Nkari Clan in Ini Local Government Area.
“It is preposterous and reckless to allege that our client has been struggling for Inter-ministerial contracts with his constituents and same has resulted in deaths, especially of Ukpabio brothers. It is also uncharitable, inconceivable and utterly untrue that our client deployed a killer squad to murder Ukpabio brothers or anybody else for that matter over payment off compensation for the Nkari Dan Project or for any other matter”, the Attorney said.
James Essien & Co., further held that the writer wrote the story about senator Etok with intent to hurt and tarnish his reputation.
“The publication has caused immeasurable embarrassment to the reputation of our client in the eyes of his constituents, colleagues at the National Assembly, government and its agencies and the International community”.
James Essien & Co. ordered Mr. Emmanuel Nicholas to “immediately” write a letter of apology to Senator Etok and issue a retraction of the story in the same paper.
“The libelous word in their ordinary meaning translate to that our client (Senator Etok) is a common criminal and a murderer and is expert at killing and procurement of others to kill. That our client has no business whatsoever sitting as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and enjoying the company of other Senators or other responsible members of society. That our client ought to have been arrested, interrogated, tried and jailed and condemned to prison as a serial murderer”, part of the order read.
It was gathered that that Etok filed a libel suit against Mr. Nicholas, a.k.a White Bom Bom, claiming N500 Million Naira as damages, pain, anguish, discomfort and loss of reputation for the publication carried in an array of Akwa Ibom based tabloids and on the accused online link, Crackdownnews Newspapers
