Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has asked the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to investigate and prosecute a U.S.-based Nigerian online Publisher, Jackson Ude, over a news story that the Vice President received N4 billion from the embattled Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
Jackson Ude’s newspaper, Pointblank News, had alleged that Magu embezzled over N39 billion and that the suspended EFCC Boss gave Osinbajo N4 billion for a soft landing.
Ude’s report quoted sources within the panel investigating the suspended EFCC boss to have “exposed the vice president’s involvement in the scandal.”
“Specifically, Magu was said to have mentioned a N4 billion that he released to the VP based on directives the very day the president left the country for the United Kingdom on medical treatment,” part of the report read.
However, Osinbajo’s Spokesperson, Mr Laolu Akande, described the claims as “false and baseless fabrications.”
On Thursday, the Vice President, through his lawyer, Taiwo Osipitan, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), stating that Pointblank News report was untrue and defamatory. The petition was copied to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami.
According to the petition, “on the 8th of July 2020, Mr Ude wrote and published on his website www.pointblanknews.com materials/stories which are criminally defamatory of our client. We have the instructions of our client that the said publications are injuriously false in every respect.”
Osinbajo also complained about Ude’s Twitter publication where he again accused him (VP) of corruption.
In the twitter, Ude wrote, “HushBajo. N4billion. The Ghana investment. Okechukwu Enelamah the erand boy. The secretly recorded night vigil prayers at the Villa Chapel. The letter of resignation written for Buhari in Tunis by Tinubu/Osinabjo while Ba was sick. The scheming to take over. Etc. This na pay back https://t.co/vgIHZlQR6c.”
The lawyers complained that Ude’s tweet was shared on several social media platforms to make the Vice President appear like a “dishonest and disloyal public officer and consequently unfit for the position of the vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which he is occupying.”
The lawyers to the Vice President asked IGP Adamu to investigate the allegations and if found to be untrue, the police should initiate criminal proceedings against Ude and his platform to restrain them from future ‘false publications.’
But Ude fired back, challenging Osinbajo to resign his post as Vice President and challenge him in court. He also challenged the Presidential panel investigating Magu to reveal the details of the investigation to ascertain if he is lying or not.
Said he: “I’m not afraid of Osinbajo; Let him resign first and face me in court.”
Ude added: “Since Osinbajo, the Star Boy, is denying, let’s have lawyers compel the Presidential Panel investigating Magu and the Police, to release the verbatim transcripts of Magu’s confessions. This is not about waving immunity. Oya, let’s go there ndi Lawyers!
“I am not afraid of Osinbajo and his minions. If he indeed wants to go to court, he needs to resign first, and sue me. He cannot be VP and be using state resources to intimidate the Judiciary. He cannot wave an immunity that he didn’t place. Osinabjo should resign first!”