Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of PEOPLE’S SECURITY MONITOR, Alhaji Isiaka Mustapha has threatened to drag, Mr. Christopher Izuguzo, President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists to court for raising frivolous and false allegations against People’s Security Monitor publication.
Alhaji Mustapha has also on behalf of People’s Security Monitor issued a 30-day ultimatum to Mr. Iziguzo to retract his alleged libellous statement and pay N100 million damages.
PSM Publisher had, in a letter sent to Mr. Iziguzo through his counsel, Olushola Ojo demanded a public apology to be published in five major newspapers including THISDAY & SUN, written apology to be dispatched to all state secretariats of the Nigeria Union of Journalists and N100 million as compensation all within a month.
Recall that Mr. Christopher Iziguzo had raised frivolous and false accusations against the People’s Security Monitor through his lawyer wherein he demanded for apology over a story allegedly written against his person on or about 17th August, 2021 by People’s Security Monitor.
Below are the contents of letter dispatched by Barrister Olushola Ojo to Mr. Iziguzo as instructed by Alhaji Isiaka Mustapha, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Peopl’e Security Monitor
‘’It is our client’s firm belief that the said publication under the title name of Editor’s Pick contradicts our title name and corporate identity known as PEOPLE’S SECURITY MONITOR as applied to Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment.
For emphasis all stories and articles are published under the title of PEOPLE’S SECURITY MONITOR and NOT Editor’s Pick as claimed by Mr chris Iziguzo.’’
Our client was astonished and embarrassed that Mr. Chris Iziguzo has out of frivolous tendencies could be brandishing mere sheets of paper that lack the identity and corporate logo of the accused media outfit, which are potent instruments of authentication and authorship of the publication in question.
Our client has since realized that the originator and writer of the story in question is one Susan Serekara-Nwikhana, President, Rivers State NAWOJ Council, who among other things had raised series of allegations against Mr. Chris Iziguzo concerning the undercurrent in the Rivers NAWOJ. Certainly, our client could not have inherited the burden of an author ‘’who is neither our employee nor on contractual biddings with us’’. Let Iziguzo sort out himself with Susan Serekara-Nwikhana.
We emphasize that at no time, whether on 17th September 2021 or at any other time such a publication was published under our client’s People’s Security Monitor title or corporate logo, what Mr. Iziguzo parades as our publication was just mere sheets of paper of his imagination. And this we averred was being frivolously executed for political reasons to wane down the hard-earned reputation of our client. We averred on behalf of our client that in the entire write-up of the alleged publication nothing, whatsoever was ascribed to People’s Security Monitor either directly or indirectly other than the fabricated online story as designed by Mr. Chris Iziguzor
In view of the above, Mr. Iziguzo’s story was fabricated, designed not only to malign People’s Security Monitor but to also gain cheap political gains.
On account of the above, we found Chris Izuguzo’s request for retraction of a story we do not know anything about as not only politically motivated, but also conceptualized at tarnishing the integrity, honour, respect and hard-earned reputation of our client which has been dwindled in the minds and eyes of the right thinking person and the general public.
Iziguzo’s fabricated allegations has also portrayed our client and caused him psychological trauma and great damage to the highly respected corporate image of PEOPLE’S SECURITY MONITOR
In view of the above, our client could not have comprehended with these frivolous accusations which he has found very unacceptable, hence we have his instructions to demand for the following:
(1) Immediate withdrawal of the letter of retraction addressed to our client on 2nd September, 2021 and public apology to our client in five major national newspapers which must include THISDAY and SUN newspapers.
(2) A written apology to our clients and same shall be dispatched to all state secretariats of NUJ.
(3) The sum of N100,000,000.00 (ONE HUNDRED MILLION NAIRA) damages as compensation for the embarrassment, shock, psychological trauma, low esteem caused our client as a result of the malicious allegations
(4) That all these must be done within 30 days from the receipt of this letter failure upon which we shall proceed to a court of competent jurisdiction for redress.’’