Lawyer Stan Alieke has spoken out against the reckless use of the word “allegedly” on social media.
Alieke warned that adding “allegedly” to a defamatory statement does not provide legal protection against defamation suits.
The lawyer stated this in a recent Instagram post, explaining that many Nigerians wrongly believe that using the term “allegedly” shields them from legal consequences of unsubstantiated claims/assertions.
However, he noted that defamatory content, whether labeled as “alleged” or not, can still provoke lawsuits if it harms someone’s reputation without credible evidence.
Alieke warned that if an individual claims that a source told them something, the court will require them to provide that source.
Failure to do so may result in the individual being deemed the source themselves.
Furthermore, spreading falsehoods can grant the defamed person the right to sue, regardless of whether the original source can be found or named.
He wrote: “Allegedly should be the most abused word in Nigeria now. It means in law, according to someone’s allegation albeit no proof’ or ‘a source that cannot be named said.’ But y’all should know that this is not a one stop immunity or shield to a defamation suit.
“You cannot intentionally defame or knowingly tell a falsehood against a person and think that a sprinkle of the world allegedly will save you from a lawsuit if the defamed person decides to take action.
“If you claim that a source told you, the court will ask you to provide the source or you will be deemed to be the source. Even spreading a falsehood grants the defamed the locus to lawsuit against you the gossipmonger even if the original source cannot be found or named.”
– The Nation.
