Lagos based lawyer, Inibehe Effiong is set to take legal action against Chief Eric Umeofia, the President/CEO of Erisco Foods Limited. Effiong made this development known via a post on his X (twitter) page.According to him, Chief Eric, during his interview with Television Continental (TVC) on October 2, 2023 while speaking on the case between Erisco Foods Limited and Mrs. Chioma Okoli, made damaging, audacious and utterly libellous claim about his person.
Chief Eric during the interview claimed that Chioma dropped her previous lawyer who accompanied her to the Force Headquarters in Abuja and went to Lagos to hire “a fake lawyer, a charge and bail lawyer to deceive her.”
Furthermore, the lawyer served a letter to Erisco on Monday April 8th, 2024. The letter was titled “Demand for retraction, written apology and payment of damages for your defamatory publication against Inibehe Effiong, ESQ.”
The letter reads “We act as Solicitors to INIBEHE EFFIONG, ESQ., a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a Legal Practitioner based in Lagos and Counsel for Mrs. Chioma Edoka Okoli, hereinafter referred to as ‘Our Client’, and on whose behalf and express instruction we write this letter of demand to you.
“Our Client’s attention has been drawn by his colleagues, friends, associates and members of the public to a libelous statement which you made for yourself and on behalf of Erisco Foods Limited on the 2nd of October, 2023 during your interview with a broadcast journalist – Mr. Tolulope Ogunjobi on Television Continental (TVC), in which you made reference to our Client.”
Effiong further stated that he has lost professional engagements and financial opportunities because of these claims.
“I have practiced law in Nigeria for the past ten years; having been duly called to the Nigerian Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. My name is on the Roll of Legal Practitioners in Nigeria and can be easily verified,” he added.
“Chief Umeofia’s claim that I am a fake lawyer who was out to deceive my client is dangerous and intended to destroy my career which I have laboured to build for a decade.
“His claim that I am a charge and bail lawyer is also malicious and defamatory. The courts have ruled in previous cases that referring to any lawyer as ‘charge and bail’ is defamatory and actionable.
“Based on the foregoing, I have briefed my counsel, the foremost human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN to take legal action on my behalf against Eric meofia and Erisco Foods Limited over the said obnoxious and destructive claims.”
Worth noting that human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN is the leader of the legal team. The team demanded a written apology from the company and its CEO, which must be published in at least two national newspapers, a full retraction of the defamatory statements and the sum of N100 Million as damages which they must comply with within 14 days.
