By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – A popular Edo businessman and On Air Personality (OAP), Imasuen Izoduwa has called for a retraction and N1b compensation from Sahara Reporter within 14 days over a publication by the medium identifying him as a political thug allegedly working for the governor of Edo State, Sen. Monday Okpebholo.

A letter by his counsel, C. A. Dawodu & Associates, dated 20th January 2026 and made available to Vanguard on Thursday said Imasuen has never been a politician but a businessman and an OAP and was therefore shocked that he would be linked to politics.

His legal notice is sequel to a publication in Sahara Reporter where a lawyer, Deji Adeyanju named him as one of the alleged thugs working for the governor that allegedly assaulted Don Pedro Obaseki over an alleged scathing comment about the Benin Monarchy. He also threatened in the publication to seek visa ban for the named persons to countries in Europe, America and other parts of the world.

In the report, Imasuen and others were named as alleged thugs working for the governor.

But the notice by his lawyer denied the allegation and demanded a retraction.

Part of the statement read; “Our Client informed us and we verily believe that he is a law abiding citizen of the Federal Republic Nigeria, a responsible family man, a reputable business man in the real estate and other sectors of the corporate industry. As well as an international On Air Personality (OAP), with a global network of followership in his online mentorship platforms and social media handles, as a leader of thought amongst the Descendants of Great Benin Kingdom both in the homestead and diaspora.

“That our Client also leads a Socio Cultural Edo group whose main mission and primary purpose is to proactively engage in the protection, preservation, propagation and promotion of Ancient Benin Trado-Cultural History, Socio-Economic Heritage, Etymological Hegemony and Monarchical Legacy in the public interest and posterity of the Indigenous Edo People worldwide.

“That wherein our Client was libelously framed, his reputation tarnished, his corporate image damaged, his integrity defamed, his character assassinated, and aspersion cast on his personality, as well as his business completely devastated due to a sudden spiral in his clientele in the last few weeks as a result of the said publication.

“That the said publication was un-professional, un-vetted and un-researched before it was put online for public consumption, else there is no way that our Client who has absolutely no proximity or connectivity whatsoever with politicians or politics both at state and national level, would have had his name included or linked to such a notorious list as a political thug, tyrant and oppressor of critics of the Edo State Government whether real or imagined. Except of course it was maliciously intended.

“That our Client demands that you should write an open letter of apology to our Client, retracting the aforesaid publication by publishing it on the front page of your Sahara Reporters online news outlet, as well as on a full page of the Vanguard National Newspaper within 14 days of receipt of this demand notice for the libelous defamation of our Client as stated above.

“That in addition, our Client demands that both you the Publisher and the Director(s) of your Sahara Reporters online news outfit duly registered should pay to our client, the sum of one billion naira”