A sales representative for Drugfield Pharmaceuticals Limited, Prince Fajulugbe Adeshola Temitayo, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The case, filed under the number HC/305/2024 with the assistance of his lawyer, E. E. Osim from Advocates Chambers in Calabar, alleges that the NDLEA has maliciously harmed his professional reputation, leading him to seek N500 million in damages.
Temitayo claims that NDLEA’s defamatory statements have caused significant and irreparable damage to both his reputation and career. The issue arose from an October 1, 2023, report by the NDLEA, which labeled him a “drug peddler.”
In the publication, they linked him to illegal drug activities with the headline, “WANTED KINGPIN, CHADIAN, GRANDPA ARRESTED OVER LONDON-BOUND SHIPMENT, 4 TONS OF DRUG.” This report was disseminated through various media channels.
Temitayo asserts that the NDLEA’s allegations are unfounded and have been proven false, maintaining that the products in question were legitimate pharmaceutical supplies intended for Bez Pharmacy Limited.
He clarified that the distributor was under a contractual obligation to provide supplies to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).
Despite the legitimacy of the goods being verified by the involved parties, the NDLEA has not publicly corrected or apologized for their statements, allowing the defamation to persist.
In his lawsuit, Temitayo is requesting an unequivocal apology and retraction of the damaging statements, as well as a court order to compel the NDLEA to remove the defamatory content from their official website, Facebook page, and two national newspapers.
Additionally, he is seeking N500 million (Five Hundred Million Naira) as exemplary damages for the libelous publication and a permanent injunction preventing the NDLEA and its affiliates from further disseminating the defamatory remarks or similar statements.
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