By Our Reporter
Two Kano-based online media organisations, NewsPoint and Apex News, may be heading for a legal showdown following a pre-action notice over an alleged defamatory report on Hajj administration in Nigeria.
The notice, dated Feb. 4, was issued by AL-ADL Legal Consult on behalf of Hajj Gazette News and Current Affairs Magazine and served on the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director/Publisher of Bilwerks Media Limited, based in Sharada Housing Estate, Kano.
At the centre of the dispute is a report titled “2025 Hajj: NAHCON CEO, Abdullahi Pakistan, Defies Tinubu’s Order, Spends N45 Billion Without Approval,” authored by Hamza Rufai and published by the platforms.
The solicitors alleged that the report falsely portrayed Hajj Gazette News as being established or controlled by officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), describing it as a propaganda outlet used for political manipulation.
AL-ADL Legal Consult dismissed the claims as malicious and unfounded, insisting that Hajj Gazette News and Current Affairs Magazine operates as an independent media organisation with no financial, editorial, administrative or institutional links to NAHCON or its leadership.
The law firm further accused Bilwerks Media Limited of failing to observe basic journalistic standards, including fact-checking and granting a right of reply, actions it said contravened the Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists.
According to the notice, the publication allegedly exposed its client to public ridicule, professional embarrassment and reputational damage.
The solicitors demanded the immediate retraction of all allegedly defamatory content from websites, social media platforms, print publications and digital archives, as well as a public apology to be issued with the same prominence as the original report.
They also requested a written undertaking within seven days confirming full compliance with the demands.
The notice warned that failure to comply would trigger legal action without further notice, with proposed claims including libel, injurious falsehood, reckless publication and damages for reputational and economic losses.
It added that the client would seek substantial monetary compensation, a perpetual injunction restraining further publication, court-ordered retractions and apologies, as well as full litigation costs.
The letter concluded that the notice would be relied upon as evidence of prior warning and was issued without prejudice to the client’s constitutional and legal rights.
