N423bn probe: El-Rufai sues Kaduna lawmaker, Channels TV

Former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has sued a member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Henry Marah and Channels TV due to alleged defamatory comments about the probe of N423 billion loan. In the writ of summons filed before an FCT High Court dated July 11, 2024, El-Rufai, through his counsel, […]

Former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has sued a member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Henry Marah and Channels TV due to alleged defamatory comments about the probe of N423 billion loan.

In the writ of summons filed before an FCT High Court dated July 11, 2024, El-Rufai, through his counsel, A.U. Mustapha (SAN) is contending that the interview on June 5’s “Politics Today” of Channels TV titled “Investigation of El-Rufai Administration” was “malicious, unwarranted, without justification, defamatory and greatly injurious to the reputation of the claimant.”

El-Rufai is demanding the sum of N3 billion jointly and severally against Marah and Channels TV over the injury, embarrassment and distress suffered by the claimant in respect of the loss of reputation and goodwill as a result of the malicious, unwarranted and defamatory publication.

The interview was in response to the ongoing probe into El-Rufai’s alleged borrowing of funds valued at N423 billion during his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023.

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Marah was quoted in the interview as saying that El-Rufai’s borrowings were done without due process and the funds unaccounted for.

El-Rufai had earlier filed an N1 billion suit claiming lack of fair hearing to him by the Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Loans, Financial Transactions, Contractual Liabilities and Other Related Matters of the Government of Kaduna State from 29th May 2015-29th May, 2023 empanelled by the Kaduna State House of Assembly on the 16th of April 2024 over the loans.

No date has been fixed for the hearing.