Justice Peter Kekemeke of an Abuja High Court has struck out the ₦500 billion lawsuit filed by former world boxing champion Bash Ali against former Sports Minister Sunday Dare, the National Sports Commission, and the Attorney General of the Federation. The suit was dismissed on the grounds that it was statute-barred, meaning the time limit for bringing the case to court had expired.
The suit, filed on October 10, 2021, alleged extortion and defamation by the defendants, claiming that Bash Ali was illegally deprived of government support and that defamatory statements were made against him. He sought an order to retract the defamatory matter, reinstate government support, and compensation for loss of income amounting to ₦500 billion.
In his ruling, Justice Kekemeke noted that there was no evidence that the first defendant, Sunday Dare, signed any contract with Bash Ali. The court held that the cause of action accrued on May 20, 2020, and since the suit was filed beyond the statutory period, it was no longer valid.
Bash Ali had accused government officials, including Sunday Dare, of extorting ₦13 million and obstructing the hosting of the Guinness World Record Boxing Championship fight in Nigeria. His legal team, led by former Minister of Communications Barrister Adebayo Shittu, had argued that the extortion attempts were part of a broader effort to sabotage the event.
However, the court’s decision to strike out the suit marks a setback for Bash Ali’s claims, effectively clearing the former minister and government agencies of the allegations.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between sports personalities and government officials over support and corruption allegations in Nigeria’s sports sector.
