Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) seeking criminal defamation charges to be brought against an online publisher, who accused him of collecting N4billion from the embattled Chairman of the Economic and Finamcial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
The originator of the story, Jackson Ude alleged in a story making the rounds in both online and the social media that Vice President Osinbajo allegedly collected N4 billion from Magu.
The EFCC Chairman believed to be on suspension has been in detention since Tuesday, when plain clothes security personnel picked him up to appear before the Presidential panel investigating allegations of corruption against him.
The Vice President in the petition addressed to the IGP, titled: ‘Criminal Defamation Of The Vice President Of The Federal Republic Of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo San, Gcon By Jackson Ude,’ described “Jackson Ude” as “an online Journalist, who publishes under the pen name of PointBlank News.
The letter signed by Prof Taiwo Osipitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN) read in part: “He is reputed for publishing online articles via the Social Media Application, Twitter, with the username @jacksonpon. His website is www.pointblanknews.com
“On the 8th of July, 2020, Mr. Ude wrote and published on his website www.pointblanknews.com materials/stories which are criminal defamatory of our Client. “We have instructions of our Client that the said publications are injuriously false in every respect
“In the said online criminally defamatory publication, titled “How Magu Embezzled N39 Billion, Gave Osinbajo N4 Billion, Begs For Soft Landing ” Mr. Ude wrote and caused to be published the following about our Client and the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu:
“Embattled former acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, allegedly embezzled over 39 Million and gave Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (sic) N4billion, after the VP gave instructions to him to release some of the recovered loots, Sources within the panel investigating the former EFCC boss told pointblanknews.com
“Specifically, Magu was said to have mentioned a N4billion that he released to the VP based on directives the very day the president left the country for the United Kingdom on medical treatment.”
On the said 8th July 2020, it was further alleged in the letter that “Mr. Ude also published criminally defamatory stories concerning/affecting our Client on his Twitter account with the handle @jacksonpbn as follows:
“HushBajo. N4billion. The Ghana investment. Okechukwu Enelamah the errand boy. The secretly recorded night vigil prayers at the Villa Chapel. The Letter of resignation written for Buhari in Tunis by Tinubu/Osinbajo while Ba was sick.
The scheming to take over. Etc. This na pay back”
Osinabjo said the “above referred malicious tweets and publications were made on a public platform on a Twitter account with over forty-six thousand followers, some of whom have retweeted same hundreds of times, as at the time of writing this petition. In addition, the false allegations have elicited responses targeted at the Vice President ranging from shock, outrage to comments that cast aspersion on the integrity of the Vice President.
“The tweets and reactions thereto have also been circulated widely on other social media platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp, as well as other online websites including Newsreel with the caption “EFCC PROBE: VP Osinbajo Allegedly Indicted Over N4billion Recovered Loot Diversion”
“Our instruction is that the above statements published by Mr. Ude are false in every material respect and same are designed to injure the reputation of our Client. Copies of the publications are hereby attached for ease of reference and necessary investigation.
“These vicious and malicious publications are meant to achieve one objective only, to represent to his readership and others (Nigerians and Foreigners) that our Client is a dishonest and disloyal public officer and consequently unfit for the position of Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which he is occupying.
“We are of the view that unless an action for criminal defamation is commenced against the said Mr. Jackson Ude, he will continue to use his social media platform to publish materials that are false and criminal defamatory of our Client’s reputation.
“In view of the above, we humbly request that you cause the above allegations, made against our Client, to be investigated and if the suggested investigation confirms our complaint of the falsehood of these allegations, to initiate criminal proceedings pursuant to the provisions of Sections 391 – 395 of the Penal Code Act for Criminal Defamation against the said Jackson Ude.”
Credit: https://dailyasset.ng
