Adeyanju Gives Fellow Lawyer 24-Hour Ultimatum Over ‘Defamatory’ Social Media Post
Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has issued a formal legal notice to fellow legal practitioner, Abdul Mahmud, demanding a public apology and immediate retraction of what he described as a defamatory post made against him on social media.
In a letter signed by Bahija Saidu, Adeyanju accused Mahmud of making damaging and false claims against him in a post published on July 15, 2025, via his X handle, @AbdulMahmud01.
The letter, titled “Demand for Public Apology and Immediate Retraction of Your Defamatory Publication Against Deji Adeyanju: Pre-Action Notice,” stated that the remarks had caused significant harm to Adeyanju’s legal career and personal reputation.
According to the letter, Mahmud’s post described Adeyanju as a “transactional and commercial activist” known for a “notice-me brand of activism,” — language the lawyer says was aimed at portraying him as opportunistic and self-serving in his human rights work.
The words attributed to Mahmud reads: “How has the block affected by bank balance? Oddy was vile, vile as your notice-me brand of activism. And I render no apologies. Block is of no moment to me. Maybe it is to your circle of commercial and transactional activists, which I don’t belong to!”
Adeyanju, through his counsel, stated that such remarks were not only “outrightly false and defamatory” but also malicious in their intent, and calculated to inflict irreparable harm on his reputation.
The letter stressed that Adeyanju has for nearly three decades dedicated himself to the cause of justice and human rights, often at great personal risk, including arrests, imprisonment, and violent attacks.
“Our client has built a strong reputation for his unwavering passion for justice, a cause he not only speaks about but lives out through his actions,” the letter noted.
“Your reckless and unfounded publication has not only diminished our client’s reputation in the eyes of well-meaning members of the public but has also caused long-standing damage to his legal career.”
Adeyanju is demanding that Mahmud issue an immediate retraction of the said publication using the same platform through which it was originally made.
He is also seeking a written apology addressed directly to him.
The letter warned that if the demands are not met within 24 hours of receipt, Adeyanju will initiate legal proceedings without any further notice.
Adeyanju Gives Fellow Lawyer 24-Hour Ultimatum Over ‘Defamatory’ Social Media Post is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
