Lawyers to health and fitness specialist, Maje Ayida, have written to media socialite, Toke Makinwa, demanding that she stops the sale and promotion of her bestselling book, On Becoming.
A letter of demand dated December 30, 2016 from the law firm of Pinheiro LP describes the book as nothing but “exaggerated fabrication” containing “defamatory words”.
In the book, 32-year-old Toke accused Maje of giving her sexually transmitted diseases, cheating on her and failing in his financial obligation to the family.
Apart from Pinheiro, Maje is reported to have hired Carter-Ruck, a leading defamation law firm in the UK, to do legal battle with Toke.
According to the letter, Maje had “requested legal separation” from Toke “within 6 months” of their marriage in January 2014 — “when it became clear that the marriage was breaking down”.
The media personality was alleged to have signed a legal separation agreement in July 2014, which the book failed to record.
“The book misleadingly describes the circumstances at the time,” the letter read.
Pinheiro LP said it was untrue that Maje had given her an “STI in the past or at any stage in their relationship.”
The law firm also noted that it was “highly misleading” for the book to allege that Maje “did not financially contribute adequately” to the marriage.
It noted that Toke’s quest for relentless and limitless publicity has brought “public ridicule” on Maje, and that his reputation has been “assaulted, injured and damaged.”
The lawyers have, therefore, demanded that Toke should “withdraw from circulation all copies of the book and take immediate steps to call in all copies of the book already distributed and deliver up same at the place to be agreed upon by our client for destruction.”
Failure to “retract” the “published words” and tender a full page unreserved apology to Maje Ayida in three national dailies, they said, “will result in the commencement of legal action.”
Toke was also advised to “take immediate steps” to stop the distribution of the books on Amazon, iTunes and all forms of promotion on her social media accounts.
She was given seven days upon receipt of the letter to comply with the demands or Maje will be forced to seek legal redress.
