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By Lukman Olabiyi
Renowned estate agent, Alhaji Mutairu Owoeye, has called on the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, and the Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS), to carry out thorough investigation on an alleged defamatory publication made against him by the President, Centre For Democracy and Socio-Economic Rights) (CEDESER), Michael Popoola Ajayi.
The group had, in an online platform, Sahara Reporters of November 22, 2022, described Owoeye as a notorious land grabber, having criminal gangs that disturb the peace of the state.
But, Owoeye, in a petition written by his lawyer, Ogabi Hafiz Babatunde, titled “Complaint on the defamation of character, false/scandalous and baseless publications on social media, stated that the publication was a deliberate efforts to damage his reputation, and credibility in the society.
The petitioner stated that the said publication has “lowered his image in the eyes of the numerous readers of the unfortunate story both on Sahara Reporters platform and other platforms where the story was forwarded to within Nigeria and overseas.”
The statement added that the publication, which suggested that Alhaji Owoeye has a criminal gang, was not only a “deliberately contrived falsehood, but a wicked contraption” that exists in the writer’s imagination.
Similar petitions were also written to the Attorney-General, and Commissioner for Justice, Ministry of Justice, Ogun State, and the Speaker Ogun State House of Assembly, respectively.
Owoeye said the libellous stories about him on social media has caused lots of damage to his reputation in the society. The petitioner stated that his attention was drawn to the false and scandalous publication written and posted on the internet, and on various social media handles by one Michael Popoola Ajayi, through the Sahara Reporters damaging his character. He called for a thorough investigation to ascertain the veracity of the malicious and libellous allegations.
The petition reads: “The attention of our client was drawn to a hate speech, false and scandalous publication written and posted on the internet and various social handles by one Michael Popoola Ajayi, through the Sahara Reporters damaging the character and business reputation of our client dated November 22, 2022.
“That the herein mentioned; Michael Popoola Ajayi (President of The Centre For Democracy And Socio-Economic Rights) (CEDESER), through the Sahara Reporters, have resulted into making false publication on social media, trying to mislead the public by making false acquisitions and calling our clients unprintable names on the media, in order to cause the breakdown of law and order within the state and also to defame our clients character which he has built over the years.
“It is important to state that the herein mentioned Michael Popoola Ajayi, who claims to be the president of an unregistered human right group named “The Centre For Democracy And Socio-Economic Rights (CEDESER)”, have succeeded in destroying the name and business of our client by raising and posting baseless information without attaching any proof of facts and genuine source of its information nor stating any police formation or department wherein the various cases he mentioned and incidents had been reported.
“We, hereby, by this petition to your office, urge and seek His Excellency’s prompt intervention and investigate the issues as the said Michael Popoola Ajayi is an instrument used to mislead and distract the government of Ogun State from its primary responsibility.”
