Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A businessman in Nigeria, Mr Nasiru Danu, has expressed his displeasure over a report linking him with an alleged N51 billion fraud.
A popular online news platform, Sahara Reporters, had claimed in a report published on March 5, 2021, that Mr Danu connived with the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Hameed Ali, to rob the nation of the said amount.
This did not go down well with the businessman, who is now considering taking a legal action against the online newspaper for defamation of character.
Already, the lawyers of the philanthropist have written to the management of Sahara Reporters to retract the “defamatory publication on all its distribution platforms” within seven days.
The media organisation has also been asked to tender an unreserved apology to Mr Danu and must be “published in three national dailies for seven consecutive days.”
They warned that failure to comply might see Sahara Reporters facing a tough legal battle as Mr Danu was ready for a showdown.
They described the report as not only false but a fabrication as the story was published without the presentation of facts to back their claims.
Sahara Reporters had said in its story that Mr Danu, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) defrauded the Nigerian government of N51 billion meant to improve the revenue of the customs.
“Some top customs operatives and one Alhaji Nasiru Haladu Danu shared N51 billion. N2.5 billion out of the fund was transferred to a foundation owned by President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter.
“Comptroller-General Hameed Ali has been on low key since the scandal broke out. They have him by the vice grip,” the online news platform had quoted an unnamed source as saying.
But the man responded in a letter dated March 6, 2021, to SaharaReporters through his lawyer, Mr Bode Olanipekun of Wole Olanipekun & Co., that he was not “part of any fraud including that alleged in your publication as involving N51 billion.”
“In the same vein, our client asserts, in the most vehement manner possible, that he did not transfer, or know about any transfer of N2.5 billion to any foundation, which he is purportedly a signatory to,” he further said.
“Our client’s position is that your publication was made, either with actual or constructive knowledge of the falsity of its content or without any effort to verify the authenticity of such damaging stories which any media outlet should be loath to publish.
“This is obvious, for instance, from the paucity of details as to time, place, account details, etc, in the publication. Such action is clearly indicative of bad faith and/or, recklessness, with respect,” the letter added.
