Chibok Girls: US guardian slams $5m lawsuit against FG

A U.S.-based Nigerian lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe has slammed a $5 million libel lawsuit against the federal government, Premium Times reports. Ogebe, who is also a social welfare campaigner accused the federal government of embarking on a “malicious campaign to tarnish his image”. Ogebe, who had taken 10 rescued Chibok girls to study in the United States... Read More

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A U.S.-based Nigerian lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe has slammed a $5 million libel lawsuit against the federal government, Premium Times reports.

Ogebe, who is also a social welfare campaigner accused the federal government of embarking on a “malicious campaign to tarnish his image”.

Ogebe, who had taken 10 rescued Chibok girls to study in the United States in 2014, was sacked by the FG on allegations that he was using them to extort money from US donors.

In the lawsuit filed at the Federal High Court of Abuja on January 27 against the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, Ogebe joined the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation in the suit.

Mr. Ogebe said Ms. Alhassan, in a press briefing in September 2016, accused him of exploiting his position as the guardian of rescued Chibok girls in the U.S. to extort money from donors.

During the briefing, the minister said, “We got the information that the girls were being used as tools for making money – not prostitution – but in the sense that they will be taken here and there where they go and relay their experiences during the insurgency, especially the invasion of Chibok town by Boko Haram and how they were abducted.

“After that, people used them to ask for donations; by so doing they make money out of it. So the girls became fed up; and started complaining that they were taken to U.S. on an arrangement that they were going to send them to school and that they were going to pay for their school. But unfortunately they said they were not allowed to remain in school.”

Ogebe demanded that an apology in major newspapers in addition to the $5 million compensation.

Mr. Ogebe said he should be praised for providing opportunities for the girls as they could barely speak proper English before he took them to the US.

Salisu Isah, the spokesman for Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, said his Bo’s will respond to the lawsuit when he returned from a trip abroad.

“He is not in the country for now,” Mr. Isah said. “I’ll get back to you with his response to the libel claims as soon as he gets back.”

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Women Affairs, Hassan Dodo failed to provide an immediate response when asked for comments Wednesday afternoon.

The News Blog