Popular comedian, Ayo Makun fondly called AY has threatened to drag This Day Newspapers to court over a defamatory statements against him published in the newspaper recently while demanding N1billion as compensation.
AY, through his lawyers, Pentagon Partners in a letter dated March 1, 2021, and obtained by Thepledge, noted that This Day had on February 21 made defamatory publication against him in an article titled, ‘PR Job Gone Sour: Why Friends of Belema Oil Founder, Tien Jack-Rich Aren’t Happy With AY The Comedian.
According to AY’s attorney, the article had portrayed their client as one who collects money for a PR job and makes a mess of it.
He said hours after the article was published on This Day online platform, he was inundated with calls from his friends and associates, adding that the said article had in no small way dented his career and called his integrity to question from his business associates and the general public.
“The said defamatory words has indeed greatly dented the image of our client. Our client who is now marketing his usual yearly Easter show is now having to defend himself before his sponsors who are now questioning his character and integrity due to the defamatory words in your publication. There is no doubt that the defamatory publication has caused a huge damage to the unwavering reputation of our client in the eyes of the reasonable members of the society,” the letter addressed to the Editor-in-chief of This Day read.
AY, therefore, demanded that This Day desist from further defamatory publication against him, an apology for the publication and also the payment of N1billion within 14 days of the receipt of the letter, noting that he will not hesitate to head to court should the newspaper fail to honour his demands.
Also taking to his instagram page, AY while acknowledging that some faceless bloggers publish gossips and rumours about celebrities, it was unacceptable for a national daily to follow such trend.
He wrote, “In as much as some of us can TEMPORARILY tolerate those faceless bloggers who enjoys the ride and the traffic such lies and rumours bring to their pages, it will be totally unacceptable for an established media outfit such as THISDAY to join the bandwagon of career killers and home breakers.
“Enough is enough with all the nonsense and the social media entertainment cruise you catch by telling lies and using innocent people to trend. A THISDAY should know better that accusations can ruin lives, so before you accuse and condemn, you better know what you are talking about. If you didn’t witness it yourself, then don’t assume everything you hear to be true and report them. Only a fool speaks without having all the facts. @thisdaynewspaper DO THE NEEDFUL OR MEET ME IN COURT.”
