The legal dispute surrounding the alleged theft of a newborn baby in Gboko, Benue State, has escalated after counsel to the accused woman issued a formal demand for retraction and apology over a social media post.
Barrister L.M. Igba, also known as Mark Luper Jmac, who represents the woman, published a notice of intention to institute legal proceedings against Zege’Orkwande Sughnen Yaaya. The notice, released on Tuesday morning shortly after Yaaya’s account of the court proceedings, accused the commentator of publishing defamatory material concerning the lawyer’s professional duties.
Igba demanded that the publication be removed immediately and that an unreserved apology be issued on the same platform. He gave Yaaya two hours to comply, warning that failure, refusal or neglect would lead to the commencement of legal action without further notice.
The lawyer maintained that the accused woman, like every citizen, is constitutionally entitled to engage legal representation and condemned any attempt to portray the exercise of that right negatively. He also objected to the use of his photograph alongside that of the accused woman, alleging that the combination created an impression of complicity in the alleged offence. Igba described the material as “malice, defamation and misrepresentation” and stated it would not go unchallenged.
In a further allegation, he raised concerns about possible impersonation and professional misconduct linked to Yaaya’s presence around the Chief Magistrate Court, CMCI, under the guise of being court staff, saying a full explanation would be demanded if the matter proceeds to court. He concluded the notice by declaring that he would invoke the law “to its fullest extent” and that “we shall meet in court.”
The development follows Yaaya’s earlier report that the woman, accused of taking a newborn baby in Gboko, had been arraigned, that her bail application was refused, and that she was remanded at Yaikyor Prison pending further prosecution. The exchange has now extended the controversy beyond the original criminal allegations into a separate threatened legal action over statements concerning the lawyer’s professional conduct.
