MSM Group Limited has filed a N10 billion defamation suit against a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Oduduwa Transparency Network, and its president, Mahmud Adebayo, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.

The lawsuit follows a press conference held on August 6, where Adebayo alleged that MSM Group was being used by a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to divert $2.8 billion of alleged stolen refinery funds into a cement production venture.

The civil society group also called on the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the source of MSM’s $2.4 billion cement investment.

In court documents filed on behalf of MSM Group by Simplified Legal Chambers, counsel Prince O. Aniukwu, Esq., Sahabiddeen Musa Isa, Esq., and Khalifa Ibrahim Shuaibu, Esq., described the allegations as “false and unfounded.”

The claimant asked the court to order an unreserved and unequivocal retraction of the statement within 48 hours, a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further publication of the allegations, and the sum of N10 billion as damages for reputational harm.

MSM Group said the allegations portrayed it as being involved in fraud, money laundering, and diversion of public funds, with the intention to instigate malicious prosecution, incite public hate, and disrupt its legitimate business operations.

In its statement of claim, MSM highlighted its global operations in oil and gas, cement, power, shipping, secure technologies, fintech, agriculture, automotive manufacturing, energy, and e-governance.

It maintained that the funding for its cement venture came from the U.S. Stock Exchange and a strategic partnership with Chinese investors, not diverted public funds.

The group said Adebayo’s claim was aimed at damaging its reputation and exposing it to public hatred, ridicule, scandal, odium, and contempt.