The suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, has expressed her intention to take legal action against the British Broadcasting Corporation over what she claims to be defamatory statements.
Edu made this known through a letter signed by her legal representative, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and addressed to the BBC offices in Abuja and London.
In the letter titled Request for immediate retraction of defamatory article published on BBC website against Betta Edu, the lawyer expressed the harm caused to Edus reputation, as well as the emotional distress and suffering endured as a result of the publication.
It accused the BBC of failing to uphold journalistic fairness and due process by not giving Edu a chance to respond to the allegations prior to publishing the article.
Edus suspension followed criticism after a leaked memo on the 20th of December, 2023, revealed that she directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer 585 million naira to a private account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget.
The ministry, however, stated that Oniyelu was working as the Project Accountant, Grants for Vulnerable Groups.