Liu Yangxi, the managing director of BN Ceramics Industry Nigeria Limited and NB Ceramics Ltd, has attacked two media outlets and one other in a N5 billion defamation lawsuit for allegedly publishing false information that connected him to an alleged N17 billion scam.
A legal team led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) filed the plaintiff’s claim, CV/3993/2024, in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Peoples Gazette Ltd., the publisher of the Peoples Gazette online newspaper, Media Trust Ltd., the publisher of the Daily Trust newspaper, and Fidelis Akumatu, a journalist and correspondent/reporter for Daily Trust, are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
In his statement of claim, the plaintiff claimed that on August 3, Peoples Gazette published an allegedly false and defamatory article, and on August 7, Daily Trust published a similar article that was reportedly written by Akumatu (in Daily Trust).
Yangxi gave the title of Peoples Gazette’s alleged false and libelous publication as: “Petitions to EFCC, SSS accuse Chinese expatriate of colluding with bank manager to steal N17billion from two Nigerian ceramic companies.”
He said the publication allegedly made by the Daily Trust was caption: “Bank manager, Chinese expatriates’ N17billion fraud: A dangerous economic sabotage.”
The claimant stated that both publications did grievous damage to his reputation and exposed him to public disdain, disrepute, disregard and opprobrium.
He averred that “the defendants, without verifying the facts contained in their respective articles or conducting proper investigations, published the above libelous words, knowing them to be false.
“The above published words have portrayed the claimant in the following negative light: a fraudulent person, a person who launders money, an impersonator, a person who does not care about the welfare of his workers, a murderer, a person who causes harm to his environment, a person who evades paying taxes and person who encourages fraudulent activities.
“The catchy libelous titles of the published articles portray the claimant as a person, who conspires with bank workers to launder money and commit fraud, and evades tax payment.
“It is the claimant’s averment that the said published articles are grievous, false and calculated to damage his image, goodwill and reputation.
“The articles have indeed tarnished the image and reputation of the claimant which he has built over the years as a law abiding expatriate and a morally upright person.
“The claimant’s business associates now see him and believe that the defendants have evidence to prove that he actually committed the alleged acts which includes; conspiracy to launder money, money laundering, tax evasion and impersonation.”
Among other things, he is pleading with the court to rule that the publications constitute libel and are specifically intended to damage his reputation.
The claimant seeks an injunction requiring the defendants, their agents, servants, or privies to remove the defamatory content.
Additionally, he is requesting an order requiring the defendants to apologize in three national newspapers for the defamatory articles that were published against him on August 3, 2024, and August 7, 2024, respectively.
In addition, Yangxi requests that the court grant him N5 billion in damages from each defendant for the defamatory publications, along with a permanent injunction that prevents the defendants and their representatives from publishing any more false or defamatory statements about him.