A Canada-Based Yoruba Cultural Promoter Sues Actress Lizzy Anjorin For Defamation

A Canada-Based Yoruba cul­ture and traditions’ promot­er, Joel Olaniyi Oyatoye, has dragged a Nigerian actress, Mrs. Elizabeth Anjorin-Lawal, to a Lagos High Court, sitting in Lagos for alleged defamation.

The claimant is also claim­ing the sum of N30 million as compensation for damages done to him as a result of a li­belous publication against him on the actress’ Instagram page on January 30 and February 1, 2021.

The suit, No. LD/ ADR/3481/2021, which has Lizzy Anjorin-Lawal as the only defendant, was sup­ported with a 13-paragraph affidavit, detailing how the defendant allegedly defamed the claimant on her social media page.

Oyatoye, in the suit, claimed that the defendant was contracted to participate in the Asa 2018 programme and that all issues relating to her participation and engage­ment in the programme were sorted out effectively and con­clusively.

He also claimed that he was however surprised when on January 30, 2021, he was called by a lot of people who are his acquaintances, saying that they saw a post on social me­dia attributable and attribut­ed to the defendant, Elizabeth Anjorin-Lawal, entitled, ‘The Fraudster of Manitoba and the Fraudster of Winnipeg,’ which alleged that he perpetrated fraud on the defendant and the people related or connected with the defendant, which the defendant allegedly introduced to him.

Oyatoye, according to the writ of summons, however, stated that there is no justifica­tion for Anjorin-Lawal to issue the post.

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Also in the writ of summon, the claimant, Oyatoye, averred that the content of the post is damaging and disparaging and brought him to utter contempt, disrepute and odium in the esti­mation of right thinking mem­bers of the Nigeria public and Nigerians in the Diaspora, who know the claimant as a projec­tor, enabler, and promoter of the Yoruba culture, custom and tradition.

He declared in the suit that he was compelled to brief a firm of solicitors – Messrs Eko Akete Chambers – on Febru­ary 1, 2021, to complain of the defamatory content of the post of the defendant against him.

Oyatoye further averred that Messrs. Eko Akete Cham­bers was compelled to write a letter to the defendant on same February 1, 2021, addressed and delivered to the defendant on same day.