David Ojuko, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, has moved to take legal action against fellow undergraduate Adeife Adewale, accusing her of defamation over a rape allegation he insists is untrue. Through his lawyer, Kingsley Enekwe, Ojuko issued a formal letter dated February 22, stating that Adewale, of the Department of English Language and Literature, made the accusation on February 17 and circulated it on social media platforms, including WhatsApp. According to the letter, she also shared his phone number alongside the allegation. The legal representative described the claim as baseless and damaging, arguing that it portrayed Ojuko as a rapist and subjected him to public scorn. He maintained that the accusation had no factual foundation and amounted to a serious criminal imputation. “It is our client’s brief that you, on or about the 17th day of February, falsely accused him of the criminal offence of rape and proceeded to publish his phone number alongside the said allegation on social media, including but not limited to WhatsApp. By that publication, you portrayed our client to the public as a rapist. The said allegation is entirely false, malicious, reckless, and without any factual foundation. As you are aware, an allegation of rape constitutes a most serious criminal imputation. Your publication exposed our client to public hatred, ridicule, contempt, and opprobrium, severely injuring his reputation, integrity, and standing among family members, fellow students, professional colleagues, associates, and the general public. Following your publication, several persons privately contacted our client, directly referring to him as a rapist. Although you subsequently issued an apology via a video recording, the damage occasioned by your defamatory publication remains substantial and continuing. The initial defamatory statement had already gained circulation and caused significant reputational and emotional harm before your retraction. Furthermore, the apology does not extinguish liability for the tort of defamation, nor does it automatically cure the injury occasioned by the widespread publication.” Despite Adewale’s later video apology, the lawyer argued that the harm to Ojuko’s reputation had already spread and continues to affect him. As part of the demands, Ojuko is seeking N15 million in damages for defamation, emotional distress, reputational injury and alleged loss of opportunities. He is also requesting a written apology and full retraction to be published prominently on all platforms where the allegation first appeared. In addition, the letter called for the immediate removal of all related posts and a written undertaking that no further defamatory statements would be made. It warned that if the demands are not met within 14 days, legal proceedings will commence without further notice.
