Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio has threatened to take legal action against an investigative journalist, David Hundeyin for publishing “false and defamatory statements” against him.
Akpabio, through a letter by his legal representatives gave the journalist 14 days to retract the publication against him and his wife, Mrs Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, or face the law. But the journalist has replied the Minister to go ahead and sue him.
Hundeyin posted a 3-page copy of the letter served him by Star Attorneys on his Twitter page on Thursday.
Hundeyin had replied that he would welcome the lawsuit. He wrote on Twitter, “Hi @senator_Akpabio, this has come to my attention. First of all, no idea why the lawyer you hired addressed it to BusinessDay as if I work there. Second, please feel free to sue. Thanks.”
The letter was addressed to him in care of Business Day, which the journalist kicked against and also replied the Minister to go ahead and sue him.
In the letter, Akpabio quoted Hundeyin as saying he defamed his wife as the owner of Davok Suites where the suspected serial killer, Frank Uduak, murdered the Akwa Ibom job seeker, Ini Umoren, late last month.
“In one of your Tweets via Twitter handle @DavidHundeyin of 11th May, 2021, you published the following statement to the entire world:
“It has just come to my attention that Davok Suites, the hotel at the centre of the 58 Unit G/S 9, Unit G, Ewet Housing Estate nexus involving Kufre Effiong and Frank Uduak is owned by none other than Ekaette Akpabio, wife of Godswill Akpabio,” the letter read partly.
In the letter, the former Akwa Ibom State Governor wanted Hundeyin to retract saying that his wife is not the owner of the purported building.
The letter said further that, “Secondly, neither Davok Suites (which is a corporate entity) nor the land housing it belongs to Mrs Ekaette Unoma Akpabio.
“In the light of the above, our clients’ demands are thus:
“An immediate retraction, by you, of all your publication and/or parts of them tending to show that our clients are/were complicit in the abduction, rape and gruesome murder of late Inibong Umoren.
“Take notice that if you fail to comply with our clients’ above listed demands within 14 days of your receipt of this letter, we will not hesitate to take a lawsuit against you and all concerned.”
