Popular blogger, Linda ikeji has reacted to the judgement of the high court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja asking her to pay general and exemplary damages of N25 million to a claimant, Mrs Ajibola Ajayi, daughter of former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
She criticized the law firm that represented Ajayi, Olaniwun Ajayi LP, for using her name to “catch clout” on Twitter.
Her blog was also asked to publish a written apology, according to the law firm.
Linda Ikeji had reported that Ajayi described some protesting students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology as a “generation of mannerless children”.
But the former Oyo governor’s daughter after the publication issued a press statement noting that the Instagram page quoted by Linda Ikeji, ‘conceited_csj’, was not hers.
Subsequently, Ajayi secured the services of a law firm, Olaniwun Ajayi LP, on the matter.
It was learnt that in a judgement delivered on April 12, 2022, the court held that the publication by Linda Ikeji was “false and malicious”.
According to Linda, the law firm filed the same case in both Lagos and Abuja High Courts without her knowledge.
Apart from calling Olaniwun Ajayi LP’s lawyer, Ogunmuyiwa Balogun, ‘an idiot’, she also described the lawyer as “inexperienced 26 years old”.
She tweeted, “Lol. You’re such an idiot lawyer. I hear you’re an inexperienced 26 year old? How can you file in Lagos and Abuja on the same issue? And then you don’t even inform me? Hope you’re ready for Appeal Court and Supreme Court? And a countersue? Tell your client to get ready!
“Also if you’re using my name to catch clout like this on social media, gloating and happy… does this mean I’m the biggest client your firm has ever sued and won against? Or is this how you announce all your victories? I should sue you for using my name like this.
“I’m supposed to be scared? I can pay 100 lawyers. So let’s go!
What the court said -Law firm
Earlier, the firm tweeted, “Olaniwun Ajayi LP is happy to have successfully represented Mrs. Ajibola Ajayi, the claimant in Suit No. FCT/CV/667/2018: Mrs Ajibola Ajayi v. Linda Ikeji in an action filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
“In the action, the claimant had sued Ms. Linda Ikeji in respect of the defamatory article published in the latter’s blog, https://t.co/96s6uH3OKc on 15.01.17 and 17.01.17 which cited Mrs. Ajibola Ajayi as having described protesting students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, as a “generation of mannerless children” in an Instagram post with the username “conceited_csj”.
“In the judgment delivered on 12.04.2022, the Court held that the publication by Ms. Ikeji was false and malicious and that the evidence before the Court showed that the Defendant knew that the Instagram account with the username “conceited_csj” did not belong to the Claimant.
In reiterating the trite principle of law that libel is actionable per se, the Court awarded general and exemplary damages in the sum of N25,000,000.00 (Twenty-Five Million Naira) against Ms. Linda Ikeji and directed Ms. Ikeji to publish a written apology to the Claimant in three National tabloids.
“The claimant was represented in the action by our Ogunmuyiwa Balogun; and it is our belief that with Judgments like this, media outfits and members of the public will verify sources of their information ahead of publication.”
