Halima Abubakar, a Nollywood actress, has sued Emeka Rollas, the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), requesting N30 billion in damages. This legal action comes after the AGN announced Abubakar’s indefinite suspension from the guild on October 17, 2024, via Rollas’ social media account.
The statement charged Abubakar with disseminating false information on AGN members, namely claiming that well-known figures with ties to the entertainment industry had extramarital affairs.
Halima Abubakar responded that she was shocked by the allegations and that she had never heard from the AGN or been given a chance to address them before learning of her suspension on social media.
Abubakar’s attorneys, P.D. Pius & Associates, denounced the AGN President’s behaviour in a letter dated October 20, 2024, alleging that he purposefully damaged her reputation. The fabricated story was meant to “denigrate her, cast aspersions on her, and stir up social opprobrium,” the letter stressed.
“Despite maintaining a professional relationship, you chose this delicate moment during her recovery to spread a negative and false narrative,” the letter added. “Our client has been battling health issues for years.” She has experienced mental and psychological distress as a result, and her reputation among morally upright people has suffered.
The lawyers ordered that Rollas’ Instagram page immediately remove the libellous article and issue an unconditional public apology. They also sought N30 billion in damages for harm to their reputation. “Unless these demands are met within seven days, we are instructed by our client to pursue appropriate legal action,” the letter’s warning stated at the end.
