Lekki shooting: Lawyer who sued #EndSARS supporters vows to drag CNN to court

The human rights lawyer who filed a law suit against 50 Nigerians whom he accused of promoting the recent #EndSARS protests, Kenechukwu Okeke, has threatened to file a similar criminal complaint against all members of staff of Cable News Network (CNN) for releasing the report of its investigative findings on the shooting of peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on October 20.

Okeke said CNN was interfering in the internal affairs of Nigeria, has asked the international TV station to retract its report and tender an apology to Nigeria for “interfering in an ongoing investigation being carried out by an Independent Judicial Panel of Inquiry set up by the Lagos State government.”

He also asked a senior staff of CNN, Stephanie Busari, who was among the journalists that worked on the report, to appear before the panel and testify under oath.

In a tweet he posted on Wednesday, Okeke indicated his intention to sue the CNN:

“It’s preemptive and contemptuous to discuss, counter, or conclude on any testimony placed before any tribunal established by law, so as to influence the consideration of the tribunal. It is, but wise to await the outcomes of the proceedings holden at the judicial panel.”

Tweeting further, Okeke said:

“I am going to sue them if they fail to retract the report and tender an apology to Nigeria and the Nigerian government.”

Another of Okeke’s tweet reads:

“@CNN ought to have testified under oath as witness (es) before the tribunals to establish any such ‘investigations’. Otherwise is a deliberate act to impugn (egregiously) or preempt the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry. We will not have it though, as the court is sacred.

“Without an exception’ herein includes any person(s) or actor(s) that improperly collaborated on substantive factual and legal issues on @Twitter (or any other social media platforms), outside of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiries (tribunals).

“I will, therefore, initiate criminal contempt proceedings against all the staff (without any exception) that deliberately and egregiously impugned the majesty of the courts or any tribunal established by law in Nigeria. Justice is too important to be decided by the media.”
In yet another tweet, he wrote:

“@StephanieBusari, you are hereby mandated to (forthwith) pull down any such contemptuous and preemptive article accessible at https://t.co/CePNcrq64z and apologise to the Nigerian people.

Failure to abide by this decree, will earn you a criminal suit in accordance with the law.”