A firm, Monimichelle Sports Facility Construction Ltd, has given BSN Sports a 72-hour ultimatum to retract its publication claiming it was responsible for the relegation of Benue State’s Lobi Stars Football Club and that public funds had “vanished” under the company’s supervision.
In a letter to the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer, BSN Sports, Mr. Niyi Busari, dated 24th April 2025, the company, described the publication as “patently false, malicious, and defamatory” and demanded that BSN Sports retract the publication, publish a public apology, pay ₦50 million in compensation, and undertake to refrain from further defamatory publications within 72 hours.
The letter titled: “formal complaint and demand for retraction, apology and compensation in respect of defamatory publication,” signed by Chief Rumson Victor Baribote, for RV. Baribote Law Practice on behalf of the Monimichelle Sports Facility Construction Ltd also served as pre-action notice.
The company attributed delays in project delivery to logistical constraints and bureaucratic bottlenecks, and claims that it has acted in good faith and in accordance with the contract’s terms, citing letters to the government highlighting the challenges that impeded the timely execution of the project in question.
According to the letter SaharaReporters obtained, the law firm said: “We write to you on behalf of our client, Monimichelle Sports Facility Construction Ltd, a reputable and long-established entity in the field of sports infrastructure, headed by its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Ebi Egbe.
“Our attention has been drawn to a most egregious publication authored by your office and published under your name on the platform of BSN Sports, titled:
‘₦1.7 Billion Stadium Scandal: How Monimichelle’s Failed Contract Relegated Lobi Stars and Betrayed Benue Govt’.
“This publication, released to the public domain, is patently false, malicious, and defamatory, founded not upon verified facts but on deliberate misrepresentations, sensationalism, and outright fabrications intended to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of our Client and its Chief Executive.
“Your article not only levels grave accusations of project failure and betrayal but goes so far as to assert that Monimichelle was directly responsible for the relegation of Lobi Stars Football Club, and that public funds have “vanished” under our client’s supervision.”
It added, “These claims are categorically untrue, recklessly misleading, and defamatory per se. They are calculated to provoke public odium, institutional distrust, and commercial injury.”
“To set the record straight,” Monimichelle explained that from the inception of the project, it had acted in good faith and in accordance with the contract’s terms. “It is on record that the delays in project delivery stemmed largely from Logistical constraints arising from delayed access to imported materials due to bureaucratic bottlenecks”.
“All these mitigating circumstances were duly communicated to the Government in a formal letter dated 6th March 2025—a letter which your article mentions, yet deliberately strips of its context and relevance.
“Your publication has not only injured the commercial interests of Monimichelle but has also cast a deeply unwarranted cloud upon the integrity of Mr. Egbe, a man whose record of excellence and patriotism in the service of Nigerian sports infrastructure is well-known.
“In light of the foregoing, we hereby demand the following within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of this letter: A full and unreserved retraction of the aforementioned publication across all platforms where it was published or syndicated.
“A public apology addressed to Monimichelle Sports Facility Construction Ltd and Mr. Ebi Egbe, to be published with equal prominence as the original publication.
“The payment of Fifty Million Naira (₦50,000,000.00) as precaution for the grave reputational, emotional, and commercial injury suffered.
An undertaking to refrain from any further publication of defamatory material concerning our Client.”
Warning that failure to comply with the demands within the stipulated time frame, the company noted that it would be left with no choice but “to commence legal proceedings without further notice, seeking redress in the form of injunctive relief, monetary damages, and a court-mandated apology.”
It added, “This letter shall also serve as a formal notice to preserve all records, notes, communications, and editorial materials related to the said publication, for the purpose of future legal proceedings.
“We trust that you will treat this matter with the seriousness it warrants and act swiftly to redress the harm already done.”
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters’ check has shown that the said report has been pulled down with the account suspended.