Doctor alleges defamation, threatens to sue Chude Jideonwo over ovaries documentary

Adetoye Durodola, doctor and founder of Redwood Specialist Hospital in Abeokuta, Ogun state, has accused Chude Jideonwo, journalist and filmmaker, of defamation over his #WithChude documentary titled ‘She Stole Our Ovaries’.

Durodola is threatening legal action unless the film is taken down.

In a pre-action letter dated August 11, 2025, W.A. Sulaimon of Legal Nub Attorneys, counsel to Durodola, alleged that the YouTube documentary “contains false, unverified, and defamatory allegations of illegal organ harvesting and human trafficking allegedly involving our client”.

The lawyer argued that Jideonwo’s team made no proper attempt to get Durodola’s side before publishing. 

“Your claim that attempts were made to contact our client before publication is false. Neither our client nor his facility received any formal approach or request for comment,” the letter stated.

The letter further insisted that even if contact was attempted, the doctor had no obligation to respond.

“Assuming, but not conceding, that contact was made, our client was under no legal obligation to comment. His silence did not give your client license to publish unfounded and damaging allegations,” the letter further stated.

The hospital also rejected the documentary’s framing of its medical procedures.

“Your client’s portrayal of a lawful egg donation procedure as organ trafficking is false, misleading, and damaging. The conflation of distinct medical procedures for sensationalism has caused our client unwarranted public scorn, threats to his safety, and harm to his professional standing.”

According to the notice, Durodola is demanding three things, including an “immediate removal of the defamatory video… a public retraction and unreserved apology… and cessation of any further defamatory publications…”.

The letter warned that failure to comply would lead to a lawsuit.

JIDEONWO RESPONDS

However, Jideonwo’s team, in a statement, insists the documentary adhered to journalistic standards and maintains that the doctor was given an opportunity to present his side. 

The team noted that they had received multiple legal notices since July 2025.

They insist that “Dr. Durodola was offered and still retains an open invitation to share his side of the story within the same production”.

“In March 2025, the production received a letter to appear in Panti Police Station for April 2025. The lawyer later learned the request was for Jideonwo to appear personally, but he was out of the country at the time,” a statement by the team reads.

“In June 2025, the team’s manager, as well as their lawyer, met with police officials who relayed Dr. Durodola’s demand for the documentary’s removal.

“The producers argued that he had an opportunity to present his response on record, but both sides agreed to reconvene at the Panti police station. That follow-up meeting never took place.

“Instead, in July 2025, Dr. Durodola’s attorneys issued a formal letter alleging libel and defamation and threatened to sue unless the documentary was taken down. The #WithChude team replied, restating their position.

“In August 2025, a second notice repeated the claims and warned of imminent court action.”

The dispute comes as Jideonwo faces other legal battles.

In April 2025, former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke sued the media executive over another #WithChude documentary titled ‘Is It Your Money?’. The producers described that case as “preposterous” since the film had not even been released at the time.

“Our work met journalistic best practice,” they said, adding that cases like these illustrate “the broader challenge facing independent media in Nigeria when powerful individuals deploy extensive legal resources against journalists”.