Zinox Technologies Limited, a leading African digital conglomerate, has demanded a public apology from Mr Femi Falana, SAN, for alleged defamation and reputational injury. The company claims that Falana and his client, Benjamin Joseph, have harmed Zinox and its representatives through false allegations and malicious court actions.
The issue arose from a contract between Citadel Oracle Concept Limited, a company owned by Benjamin Joseph, and Technology Distributions Limited over the supply of computers to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Zinox said it is not connected to the transaction or allegations and that Falana’s court case wrongly included the company’s name.
“Zinox has never been invited by any investigative agency, including the police and the EFCC, to discuss these allegations,” the company said.
The company’s Chairman, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, has also never been mentioned in any court proceedings or judgment related to the allegations.
According to Zinox, Benjamin Joseph has a history of making false allegations against the company and its representatives. In 2013, Joseph reported Zinox to the police, but the case was dismissed, and he was charged with false information. In another case filed by the EFCC at Joseph’s instance against his partner, Princess Kama, the court dismissed the allegations as untrue. It imposed a fine of ₦20 million on Joseph for false petitioning.
Femi Falana is prosecuting the case filed as suit # FCT/HC/CR/985/24 in November 2024 before Honorable Justice A. O. Ebong of the FCT on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation Mr Lateef Fagbemi who donated a fiat of prosecution to the former.
Zinox alleged that Falana’s current charges are the third in a row, with previous charges being struck out by the court. The company claimed that Falana is engaging in “forum shopping” and “abuse of court process” by filing the exact charges in different courts.
“It is, therefore, very clear that the deliberate intention for instituting this new charge by Femi Falana SAN, to include the name of Zinox and its Chairman and other persons who were never part of the investigations, is to embarrass them, harm their reputation, and thereby damage their businesses,” the statement said.
Zinox demands that Falana produce evidence to support his claims and, if unable, issue a public apology. The company assured its business partners, stakeholders, and friends that it is not affected by the allegations and will defend itself against the charges.
“We shall not fail to explore all legal remedies against persons associated with orchestrating these false allegations and publications against us,” Zinox said.
The company also expressed surprise that a senior advocate like Falana would engage in such actions and questioned whether the Attorney General of the Federation was adequately briefed on the matter before granting Falana the fiat to prosecute the case.
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