Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare has threatened to sue former world cruiserweight boxing champion Bash Ali for defamatory and disruptive statements directed at his person and office in the amount of N5 billion.
Bash Ali has been trying for a long time to hold the Guinness World Record Boxing Championship in Nigeria but is kept from doing so due to regulatory roadblocks.
The 65-year-old boxer posted a video over the weekend accusing the minister of extorting “millions of naira” from him as part of the process to arrange the world boxing title bout, supposedly under President Muhammadu Buhari’s orders.
The ministry issued the following statement: “The attention of the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development – Mr Sunday Dare – has been drawn to a video circulating online in which controversial boxer, Bash Ali made defamatory, false and unsubstantiated allegations against his person.
“If Bash Ali could have the effrontery to make and publicize a video where he not only made allegations against the person of the Hon. Minister, but also threatened to halt the operations of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development,” the statement continues. “Then, it is compelling that the security agencies are put on alert so as to avoid a future situation of regret where things are taken for granted.”
The statement also said that the minister would not stand by and “allow the threats materialize”. He also advises the media against disseminating destructive claims.
