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The family of late Ibadan politician Lamidi Adedibu has demanded N500m in damages from filmmaker Seun Oloketuyi over a biopic about the politician, accusing the production team of distorting his life and using private family materials without permission.
The dispute centres on Adedibu: Alagbara Ibadan, produced by Oloketuyi through Ultimate Communications and directed by Abiodun Jimoh. In a letter dated October 5, lawyers representing the administrators of Adedibu’s estate accused the filmmakers of proceeding without consulting the family or obtaining its consent.
The lawyers alleged that the film contained “grave untruths, fabrications and sensational falsehoods” about Adedibu’s private life and political career, including his family relationships, formative years and lifestyle.
They also challenged portrayals linking the late politician to electoral violence, describing him as a “puppet of doom” and suggesting that his use of “amala politics” was intended to subjugate Ibadan residents. The family said the depictions damaged his reputation as a “grassroots mobiliser”.
The estate’s representatives further alleged that photographs, voice recordings and private family pictures were used without authorisation, claiming the filmmakers neither interviewed relatives nor consulted family archives.
Family Issues Removal And Apology Demands
The family demanded that the biopic be removed immediately from YouTube and other social media platforms, including all excerpts, clips and reuploads.
It also asked Oloketuyi to preserve the original footage, scripts and sources used in producing the film, while warning against further publications about Adedibu without written consent from the estate’s administrators.
Other demands included a three-minute apology video to be published on the same YouTube channel and pinned for 30 days, as well as an apology in the Nigerian Tribune within seven days.
The lawyers gave the producer 48 hours from receipt of the letter to comply. Beyond the N500m compensation demand, which they linked to alleged invasion of privacy, false light and reputational injury, the family threatened complaints to YouTube, a petition to the Inspector-General of Police’s cybercrime unit and a lawsuit at the Oyo State High Court seeking N1bn and a perpetual injunction.
Producer’s Lawyers Reject Allegations
In a response dated October 7, Oloketuyi’s lawyers rejected the demands, arguing that the family had not identified specific statements in the film that were allegedly false, provided timestamps or submitted evidence contradicting the disputed claims.
“The video referred to by you is a retelling of the public life and political career of a man who, by every account, was one of the most prominent, most discussed and most documented political figures in the history of Ibadan, Oyo State and South-West Nigeria,” the letter stated.
The lawyers said Adedibu’s political activities had been covered in newspapers, magazines, books, academic publications, broadcast programmes and documentaries.
“Every fact depicted in the video is in the public domain,” the response stated.
They argued that Nigerian law generally does not require relatives to approve historical accounts of deceased public figures. However, they acknowledged that copyright or proprietary rights could apply to particular photographs, recordings and other protected materials.
The legal team maintained that the film focused on Adedibu’s public and political activities and did not disclose private information about surviving relatives, such as addresses, medical records or contact details. It also challenged the family’s legal standing to pursue defamation claims over statements concerning a deceased person.
The arguments have not been tested in court.
Oloketuyi Offers To Examine Specific Complaints
Despite rejecting the demands, the producer’s lawyers offered to examine documented objections, asking the family to provide the disputed statements, timestamps, alleged meanings and evidence of falsity within seven days.
They also requested proof that the lawyers were authorised to represent the listed clients. Oloketuyi’s team said it would defend the film against legal action and could submit a counter-notification if a complaint was filed with YouTube.
The lawyers warned that the producer would seek compensation for lost revenue, audience, goodwill and reputational damage if the film were removed based on what he considered untrue allegations.
Separately, Ultimate Communications denied claims that it solicited money to finance the biopic, describing the reports as “false and misleading”. The company said it had documented the allegations and referred them to its lawyers.
Meanwhile, the National Film and Video Censors Board classified and approved the production. A certificate seen by TheCable Lifestyle listed the title as Adedibu, named Oloketuyi as producer and assigned it a 15 rating. The certificate, numbered 061286, was dated October 8.
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#SeunOloketuyi
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