By Peter Omopo
Ibadan | July 3, 2025 — An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has dismissed a ₦5 billion defamation suit filed by the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, against Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Justice O.T. Ademola-Salami not only threw out the suit but also awarded ₦500,000 in costs against Adams in favour of Igboho.
The case, marked M/1006/2004, centred on allegations by Adams that Igboho violated his fundamental rights by secretly recording and releasing a private phone conversation in a manner that was defamatory and an infringement of his constitutional right to privacy.
Through his counsel, Sikiru Akinrele, Adams argued that the covert recording and subsequent publication of the conversation injured his reputation, particularly in his official capacity as the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland. He sought a court declaration that such actions were illegal and unconstitutional, and demanded ₦5 billion in damages.
Adams specifically requested the court to affirm that recording private telephone conversations without consent was a breach of Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantees the right to privacy.
During the hearing on April 30, 2025, Akinrele urged the court to uphold his client’s claims and grant all reliefs sought.
However, in his judgment on Thursday, Justice Ademola-Salami found no merit in the claims and dismissed the suit in its entirety, awarding legal costs to Igboho.
The case had drawn public interest due to the prominence of both figures in Yoruba sociopolitical affairs.
