News Express Publisher writes Haleems Founder, demands N1bn for defamation, unjust disruption of business operations
Mr Isaac Umunna, News Express Publisher, has written to the Founder of Haleems Integrated Services Limited, Dr. Halimat Adenike Tejuosho, demanding a written apology and a billion naira for alleged defamation and unjust disruption of business operations.
In a demand letter dated 30th December, 2025, Umunna, through his lawyers, Adewale & Adewale LP, accused Dr. Tejuosho of lying to News Express’ domain name registrant, HostAfrica, as a result of which the newspaper’s domain name was suspended on September 1, 2025.
The suspension unjustly disrupted the paper’s operations for several hours.
According to Umunna’s lawyers, “In the evening hours of Monday, September 1, 2025, our client’s website, https://newsexpressngr.com, suddenly vanished from the Internet. Frantic efforts to access it failed, as it no longer existed.
“Our client’s Webmaster, Mr. Afam Nnaji of the Lagos-based Just Web Services, eventually reached the domain name registrant, HostAfrica, a South Africa-based domain name registration
company, which sent an e-mail disclosing that our client’s domain name, https://newsexpressngr.com, had been suspended based on a petition from you, claiming that our client published a false story about you and that when our client was approached, he insisted on collecting money before pulling down the story.”
Accusing Dr. Tejuosho of defamation of character, Adewale & Adewale LP said: “However, contrary to your claims, our client never received any complaint about
the referenced story through any means whatsoever. He could not, therefore, have entered into discussions with you, let alone demanding payment as a condition to remove the said story.
“By falsely claiming that our client “refused to take down the publication and have instead attempted to solicit money in exchange for removal”, you created the impression that our client is a disreputable journalist who fabricates stories about people and demands payment to remove them.”
The Lagos-based law firm in the letter signed by its Managing Partner, Timothy Adewale, said that, contrary to Dr. Tejuosho’s claims, the facts show as follows:
“That our client is a reputable and award-winning international journalist who has never been associated with any scandal in his 39 years of practice.
“Due to his competence and professional integrity, our client rose to occupy top positions in important local and international newspapers and magazines. These include serving, at various times, as Deputy Editor and Acting Editor of The Week Magazine Chief Operating Officer of M2 Weekly Magazine; Editor of The Moment on Sunday Newspaper; Managing Editor of City Mail Newspaper; and General Editor of the London-based Africa Today Magazine.
“Throughout his long and unblemished journalism career, our client has neither been queried nor sacked by any of his employers.
“Our client brought this professional integrity to News Express, which explains why the paper has not faced even a single lawsuit in its over 13 years of operations.
“Untainted by any hint of scandal, our client has been widely celebrated both locally and internationally as a distinguished professional journalist.
“In 1996 he was nominated Print Journalist of the Year in Nigeria and given a Certificate of Commendation by the Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Media Merit Award (NMMA), on September 26, 1996.
“He was recognised as “a leading Nigerian political journalist” by The International Herald Tribune newspaper of Paris, France, on May 25, 2005.
“Two months later, on July 4 in London, our Client won the “Best Published Feature” category of the prestigious Diageo Africa Business Reporting Award, which is open to journalists all over the world.
“On February 21, 2006, our client was honoured in South Africa with a Merit Award in the Technology Policy & Investment Category of the Siemens Profile Awards for Journalism Excellence in Science and Technology Reporting in Africa.
“Due to his professionalism and good reputation, our client was in August 2010 appointed Special Assistant on Media to Prof. Dora Akunyili, who at the time was Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Communications. This made him a Deputy Director on Grade Level 16 Step 4 in the Ministry. He served so meritoriously in that position that he was retained by Prof Akunyili as Media Aide after her resignation as Minister on December 15, 2010. He served in that position until Prof Akunyili’s death on June 7, 2014.”
The law firm told Dr. Tejuosho that, “As a result of the defamatory words published by you in your mail to Host Africa, our client has suffered humiliation and grievous emotional and psychological distress and damage.
“What is more, by unjustly disrupting our client’s business operations, he has suffered untold financial losses and you have caused him to breach his contracts with numerous local and international advertising clients, among them; the Central Bank of Nigeria, First Bank of Nigeria, Konga (Nigeria), Adipolo of New York, USA, and Kolorowey of New Delhi, India.”
In the light of the aforementioned facts, Umunna’s lawyers demanded the following from Dr. Tejuosho:
“A written apology for, and retraction of, the false and malicious allegations made by you against our client in the aforesaid message to Host Africa.
“A letter to Host Africa informing them that your allegations against our client are false.
“A bank certified cheque in the sum of One Billion Naira (N1bn) issued in favour of our client being damages for the defamation of his character and unjust
disruption of the business of our client.”
The letter gave the Haleems Integrated Services Limited Founder 14 days to meet the demands or prepare for a legal battle.
