Azikel Group, Dr. Eruani Threaten Legal Action Over Alleged Defamatory Facebook Post, Demand Retraction Within 48 Hours
By Jonah Fubara, YENAGOA –Â The President of the Azikel Group of Companies, Dr. Azibabu Eruani, and the company have threatened legal action against Perekeme Fidelis Perekeme over an alleged defamatory publication on Facebook concerning the company’s Aviation Scholarship Programme.
The threat was conveyed through the company’s legal representatives, Aliyu Lemu, SAN & Co., in a letter signed by the firm’s Principal Partner, A. I. Lemu, SAN. The letter accused Perekeme of publishing what it described as false, malicious, defamatory, and prejudicial content titled, “Alleged Aviation Scholarship Scam: Second Successful Candidate Sues Dr. Eruani Azibabu and Azikel Group for ₦1.9 Billion.”
According to the letter, the publication allegedly portrayed the Aviation Scholarship Programme as a scam and was said to have damaged the reputation of Dr. Eruani and the Azikel Group.
The lawyers demanded that Perekeme retract the publication within 48 hours of receiving the letter and immediately remove and permanently delete the Facebook post, including all associated captions, comments, reposts, and related content under his control.
The legal team also directed him to cease and desist from publishing, republishing, sharing, circulating, endorsing, or otherwise disseminating what it described as defamatory allegations against Dr. Eruani, the Azikel Group, or the Aviation Scholarship Programme.
In addition, the lawyers requested that Perekeme publish a full, clear, unequivocal, and unreserved retraction and apology on the same Facebook account through which the original publication was made. The retraction, they said, must enjoy substantially the same prominence and visibility as the original post and remain publicly accessible for a minimum period of one month.
The proposed apology is also expected to expressly state that the Aviation Scholarship Programme is not a scam and acknowledge that the earlier publication created what the lawyers described as a false and misleading impression about Dr. Eruani and the Azikel Group.
Furthermore, the legal representatives demanded written confirmation of compliance with the directives, including a written undertaking that Perekeme would refrain from publishing any further allegedly false, defamatory, malicious, or misleading statements concerning their clients. The confirmation, according to the letter, should be submitted within seven days of receipt.
The letter warned that failure to comply with the demands could leave the clients with no alternative but to pursue appropriate legal remedies to protect their reputation and seek redress under the law.
As of the time of filing this report, Perekeme Fidelis Perekeme had not publicly responded to the allegations or the legal demands.
