Nasarawa Poly Rector Drags Journalist To Court For Defamation

Dr. Justina Anjiode Kotso

Dr. Justina Anjiode Kotso, the Rector of Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia, has slammed a N100,000,000 lawsuit against the Nasarawa State Correspondent of Universal Reporters, Rabiu Omaku, for allegedly authoring false publications against her and the institution.

Omaku had on September 18, 2023, accused the Rector of embezzling funds meant for graduates of the polytechnic, who participated in the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme in a report titled: Rector IMAPOLY (Formerly Nasarawa State Polytechnic) In The Eyes Of The Storm As Allowances Of SIWES Students Disappeared Into Thin Air, among other allegations leveled against her in the report.

Speaking with newsmen in Lafia on Friday, Dr. Kotso said the report had greatly injured her reputation and caused many residents of the state to question her integrity.

This, she said made her call the attention of her lawyers on the matter.

A letter served to Rabiu Omaku by M. I. Dikko chambers, and obtained by PUNCH revealed that apart from a compensation of N100million, the Rector is also demanding that the alleged defamatory report be deleted from the Universal Reporters website, and a retraction to the report should be done within seven days of the notice.

“We are Counsel to Dr. Justina Anjiode Kotso, the Rector, Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic Lafia, Nasarawa State, formerly called Nasarawa State Polytechnic, hereinafter referred to as our client, and on whose firm instructions and on behalf, we write this final demand/retraction notice which we do hope shall receive the urgency it desires.

“Our client informed us and we have seen documentary evidence to the effect that on the 18th day of September, 2023, you published a defamatory article via Universal Reporters, an online news and media outlet website.

“We wish to state without mincing words that our client is an administrator and academia per excellence who has benefitted immensely from the education sector of the country.

“And she has no intention whatsoever of sabotaging the system which she has carved a niche for herself, and has gained for herself national and international recognitions.

“We demand that you immediately publish a retraction and apologize to our client on the website of Universal Reporters, and circulate same widely across social media platforms.

“We demand that you cause a publication of apology/retraction in at least, two national dailies and one local newspaper in Lafia, Nasarawa State without delay. We also demand that you pay the sum of N100,000,000 (One Hundred Million Naira) only to our client as compensation.

“Failure to meet our client’s simple demands within seven days, we shall have no option but to commence both criminal and civil actions against you in competent courts of law,” the letter read in part.