The suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, has threatened to take legal action against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) over 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.

The article, titled “Betta Edu Probe: Nigeria Recover $ 24 m in Poverty Minister Investigation- EFCC” with the byline “Nigeria Has Recovered 30bn Naira ($24m; £19m) as Part of an Ongoing Corruption probe Into a Suspended Minister, the Financial Watchdog Says”.

Edu’s lawyers argue that the article is defamatory, filled “with innuendoes and insinuations” that falsely imply she was linked to recovered funds and suggest guilt based on her earlier suspension to facilitate investigations.

The lawsuit read; “The aforesaid article, which presents information purporting to relate to an ongoing corruption probe into the activities of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria, is replete with innuendoes and insinuations which suggest that N 30bn has been recovered in the course of the ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from our client and that the 50 bank accounts connected with the recovered sums are linked to our client. Furthermore, your article proceeds to cast aspersion on our client by referencing her earlier suspension (to allow for unfettered investigations) in the following terms,”

Edu’s lawyers, in the petition, also argued that the language used in describing the purported involvement in the alleged corruption case suggests guilt without allowing for the presumption of innocence, which is fundamental to any fair and unbiased reporting.

“The reckless manner in which the article was crafted, without providing our client with the opportunity to respond to the allegations before its wide publication, is a clear breach of journalistic fairness and due process and demonstrates a complete disregard for journalistic integrity and professionalism,” it added.

They noted that the headline, content, and tone of the article imply guilt on the part of Edu, without any concrete evidence to substantiate such claims, adding that this is a blatant attempt to tarnish Edu’s reputation and undermine her credibility, which she has earned over the course of her distinguished career in both private and public life.

“For the avoidance of doubt, our client has neither been indicted nor found culpable of any act of financial impropriety in relation to her stewardship of the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Ministry in Nigeria,”

“It is also pertinent to emphasise that neither N 30 billion nor any amount whatsoever has been traced to or recovered from our client’s bank accounts nor has any proceed of crime been traced or recovered from her to warrant the scurrilous article under reference.

They also added that Edu has been inundated by calls and messages from friends, associates expressing their shock and consternation after the BBC publication, saying that “Edu has suffered immeasurable reputational damage, psychological trauma and anguish as a direct consequence of the publication and dissemination of the article.”

Edu’s representatives, therefore, demanded that BBC immediately remove the article and publish a retraction with a public apology within 48 hours.

“Take notice that should the BBC fail and/or neglect to comply with the above demands, we have our client’s instructions to, without further recourse to the BBC, initiate swift legal action(s) before the appropriate Courts to obtain redress for the injurious falsehood peddled in your article, and to seek punitive and exemplary damages in the sum of US$ 50 million against the BBC for the damage and injury suffered by our client.”