In a what looked like an escalation of the verbal assault on a Daily Trust’s journalist by a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, the latter has demanded that the management of Media Trust Limited – publishers of Daily Trust and other publications – enter into a negotiation with him for possible settlement of N6bn for defamation of character.

Fani-Kayode said this in a letter addressed to the Managing Director of Daily Trust, dated August 31, 2020 and titled, ‘Defamation of the character of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode by Iliyasu Gadu.’

The letter, which was signed by the former minister’s lawyer, Adeola Adesipe, was in response to an article titled, ‘FFK, the Drug Addled Thug in Designer Wears’ dated August 30, 2020 and published by the medium.

In the article, which was published in the newspaper, the writer lambasted Fani-Kayode for his conduct during a Press conference in which he described a Daily Trust reporter in Calabar, Eyo Charles, as ‘stupid’ after the journalist asked question about the identity of persons “bankrolling” his current tour of southern states.

Gadu, the writer of the article, claimed that Fani-Kayode, who attended Cambridge University, was once “a drug addict” and had sought rehabilitation in Ghana, but “till today has not been cured of the habit.”

In his pre-litigation letter, however, Fani-Kayode described the article as libelous and demanded an apology from the newspaper, which must be published in other national dailies.

The former minister also demanded that negotiation be entered into for possible payment of N6bn due to the irreparable loss the article had caused him.

It reads in part, “Be aware that our client has not only suffered immeasurable loss of goodwill, he is currently confronted with unbearable opprobrium by his fans, followers and colleagues across the globe.