By Zika Bobby
Popular Muslim cleric, Sheikh Habeebullah Adam Al-Ilory, has demanded an apology from Instablog9ja for defamation.
According to a statement issued at the weekend on behalf of the cleric by his lawyers, Shuaib Mustapha & Co, titled “Misleading and malicious posts of doctored video clip with the aim of inciting public rage against Sheikh Habeebullah Adam Al-Ilory,” they described as scandalous the purported claims made by the blog in which the blogger on his Facebook and Instagram accounts posted a video clip with a view to incite public hatred and malice against the cleric.
The statement reads in part: “In the said video clip, our client was portrayed by you with a negative posture of extremism of ideological conviction. You made a caption: ‘Tongues wag as popular Islamic cleric Sheikh Habeebullah Adam Al-Ilory reveals what will happen to those that use satellite dish.’”
The lawyers, who claimed that their client has been the butt of derisive jokes, served the blogger a notice demanding a retraction of the malicious posts, among other reliefs.
Specifically, they requested the blogger to publish unreserved apologies across all social media platforms, take down all posts relating to the subject matter, reposting the full video clip stating the proper context of the lectures by the cleric, as well as liaise with other platforms where the posts have been shared and tweeted to delete same within seven days or face legal action to press for damages.
“In the event of your failure to heed our client’s demand within seven days, we shall be compelled to file legal actions against you and your media platforms seeking damages as well as other ancillary reliefs that would deter your likes from using social media to bring people of integrity into disrepute.”
In a related development, lawyers to Sheikh Al-Ilory have petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate and prosecute suspects involved in what they described as a campaign of calumny against the cleric.
The lawyers, while reiterating that some news platforms have deliberately spread falsehood, malicious and unfounded statements against their client, urged the top police boss to order a full-scale investigation into the matter with a view to prosecute the suspects in order to serve as a deterrent to others.