- The court has scheduled the hearing for December 12, 2024
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has filed a N10 billion defamation lawsuit against two northern journalists, Shu’aibu Mungadi and Tijjani Ramalan, alongside their employers and media organisations.
The suit, filed at the Kano State High Court, accuses the journalists and their platforms—Vision Media Services Ltd, Vision FM, Farin Wata Television, and Liberty Radio and TV—of airing reports portraying Matawalle as a sponsor of banditry.
Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, claims the allegations, broadcast across multiple media platforms, have damaged his reputation. He seeks an injunction to restrain the defendants from making further statements until the case is resolved.
The court has scheduled the hearing for December 12, 2024.
The lawsuit follows calls from the All Progressives Congress’ Akida Forum for an investigation into the minister’s alleged links to rising insecurity in the North-West.