An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has dismissed a N5 billion defamation suit filed by the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, against activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

Justice O.T. Ademola-Salami dismissed the suit on Thursday and awarded N500,000 in costs against Adams in favour of Igboho.

Adams had sued Igboho over a leaked telephone conversation from November 2021 which he claimed was recorded without his consent.

In the suit, Adams alleged that the audio suggested he was hired to assassinate Lagos State Chief of Staff, Tayo Ayinde.

The OPC leader asked the court to declare that the recording was a breach of his privacy rights under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution. He also demanded N5 billion in damages.

“It is unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional for anyone to surreptitiously record the private telephone conversation… without the consent and authority of the applicant,” Adams stated in the affidavit.

But Igboho’s counsel, Junaid Sanusi, challenged the validity of the suit, arguing that the affidavit was not deposed by Adams or anyone who had first-hand knowledge of the facts, rendering it incompetent.

Ruling on the matter, Justice Ademola-Salami held that the suit lacked merit, noting that Adams failed to prove his claims or show that the leaked call was indeed recorded without his consent.

The judge also agreed with Sanusi that the affidavit was defective and dismissed the case accordingly. He ordered Adams to pay N500,000 in costs to Igboho.

The legal battle between the two men stems from a long-running feud. In 2024, Igboho also slammed a N500 million defamation suit against Adams, accusing him of maligning his name with the same audio recording.

Adams, in response, asked the court to strike out Igboho’s suit over issues bordering on improper service and faulty affidavits.

With Adams’ N5 billion suit now struck out, attention may now shift to the defamation case filed by Igboho which is still pending in court.