Osinbajo writes IGP, wants ‘false’ allegations linking him to Magu ‘funds’ investigated

Nigeria’s Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu to investigate the allegation that he collected N4 billion from the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

In a petition dated July 8, 2020 and addressed to Adamu, the Vice-President through Professor Taiwo Osipitan, his lawyer, said that the publisher of an online publication, “Pointblanknews.com, Mr Jackson Ude will continue to publish these “false claims” on social media until an action for “criminal defamation” is commenced against him.

The petition is entitled; “Criminal Defamation Of The Vice President Of The Federal Republic Of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN, GCON By Jackson Ude.”

Copies of the petition were sent to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN.

Ibrahim Magu was accused of embezzling N39 billion recovered loot but allegedly gave Osinbajo N4 billion after the Vice-President instructed him to do so.

Magu is being probed by a presidential panel over allegations of gross misconduct and alleged fraud running into billions of naira of monies seized from those being probed over financial misappropriation and embezzlement by the EFCC.

Osinbajo’s lawyer said that if the allegation is false after investigation, the inspector-general of police should initiate criminal proceedings against Ude.

“We act as Solicitors to Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN, GCON, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (“our Client”) and on whose instruction we write this Petition against one Jackson Ude for Criminal Defamation.

“Our instructions show that the said Jackson Ude is an online Journalist, who publishes under the pen name of PointBlank News. He is reputed for publishing online articles via the Social Media Application, Twitter, with the user name @jacksonpbn. His website is www.pointblanknews.com,” Osipitan petition read.

It was added that on the 8th of July 2020, Mr. Ude wrote and published on his website www.pointblanknews.com materials/stories, which are criminally defamatory of the vice president.

“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,” which is available here, 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.

“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, 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 he was sick. The scheming take over etc. This na pay back.

“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” available here and on YouTube.

“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 criminally 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.”