* Hires Olanipekun law firm to prosecute matter
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, has hired the law firm of Wole Olanipukun to prosecute the N5billion suit he filed against a former boxer, Bash Ali, for alleged defamation.
Besides, Mr. Dare is also tackling Ali over a recent video circulating online, in which the latter allegedly threatened violence against the ministry.
In the said video, Ali accused the minister of extorting ‘millions of naira’ from him as part of the process of organising a world boxing title fight for him as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Reacting to the video on Sunday, the minister’s Special Assistant on Multimedia, Mr. Toyin Ibitoye, described Ali’s claims as defamatory, false and unsubstantiated.
He said: “This recent video is irrespective and in disregard of a pending libel suit initiated by the minister claiming damages to the sum of N5 billion against Bash Ali for defamatory allegations made in the past.
Bash Ali
“Apart from aggravating the previous defamatory acts, in the present video, Bash Ali has threatened violence and disruptive acts against a functional unit of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
The statement added: “As a responsible public office holder, the minister will not sit back and allow the threats materialize. If Bash Ali could have the effrontery to make and publicize a video where he not only made allegations against the person of the minister but also threatened to halt the operations of the Ministry of Youth and Sports development, then, it is compelling that the security agencies are put on alert so as to avoid a future situation of regret where things are taken for granted.”
The minister said he would “on a personal note, diligently press his libel claims against Bash Ali and will also seek further remedies that the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria avail him.
“To this end, he has briefed Bode Olanipekun (SAN) of the law firm of Wole Olanipekun & Co to continue with the prosecution of the case.”
He said the statement became “necessary so to as inform discerning members of the public to disregard this latest antics, which is in continuation of a pattern from Bash Ali against two past Ministers of Youth and Sports Development and the current one. We also alert media outlets about the risks and consequences of disseminating such false and malicious stories.”