An Abuja High Court has thrown out a lawsuit filed by former world cruiserweight boxing champion, Bash Ali, against former Sports Minister Sunday Dare, over allegations of extortion and defamation.
Presiding judge, Justice U.P. Kekemeke, struck out the case on Thursday, declaring it statute-barred and criticizing Ali for wasting the court’s time. The suit, filed under case number FCT/HC/CV/6411/2023, also named the federal government and D.A. Muhammad, then legal director of the sports ministry, as co-defendants.
Ali had accused Dare of extorting ₦13 million from him in relation to a proposed Guinness World Record boxing bout in Nigeria. He also claimed the federal government stalled the event despite an alleged $12 million advance payment. In his plea, the 69-year-old boxer demanded ₦500 billion in damages.
The court dismissed all allegations, effectively ending the case.
Ali has spent over two decades attempting to break the record for the oldest boxing champion — a title currently held by Bernard Hopkins, who won the IBF light-heavyweight belt at age 48 in 2013.
Throughout his campaign, Ali has had repeated clashes with various sports ministers. In 2013, he accused Bolaji Abdullahi of bribery, later refusing to issue a public apology. In 2015, he claimed Solomon Dalung sabotaged the event for personal gain. More recently, in 2024, he alleged that minister John Enoh demanded $1 million from him — an accusation that was followed by threats of legal action.
No comments:
Post a Comment