Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the current National Security Adviser (NSA) and former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is not taking the alleged defamatory YouTube Video made by social media personality Dr. Kemi Olunloyo with levity as he threatened to take legal action against her.
In a legal notice dated September 30, 2024, Ribadu’s lawyers, Charles Musa & Co., demanded an apology, full retraction of the video, and payment of ₦10 billion (approximately $13.7 million) in damages within seven days. Failure to comply, the notice stated, would result in legal proceedings.
Theliberationnews observed that the video in question, posted by Olunloyo on September 27, 2024, alleged that Ribadu, during his tenure as EFCC Chairman, sold properties seized from “Yahoo boys” in the 1990s to human rights lawyer Femi Falana.
Responding, Ribadu’s legal team refuted these claims, stating that the EFCC was only established in 2002, with Ribadu appointed as its pioneer chairman in 2003. They also maintained that no seized properties were sold under Ribadu’s leadership, and all assets were forfeited to the Federal Government as per court orders and the EFCC Act 2003.
Furthermore, the notice pointed out that the “Yahoo boys” phenomenon emerged long after Ribadu’s term as EFCC Chairman had ended.
Ribadu’s lawyers argued that the “malicious and slanderous” video, which had garnered over 26,000 views, portrayed their client as corrupt and caused extensive damage to his reputation built over decades of public service.
In addition to the ₦10 billion in damages, Ribadu’s demands included a written apology, full retraction of the video across multiple media platforms, and publication of the retraction in newspapers, online news sites, television, and radio.
