Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has described online reports purportedly claiming that the embattled Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, gave him N4billion as false and baseless fabrications.
He said the reports from two online publications are “obvious campaigns of lies and calumny” against him and his exalted office.
Twitter was awashed with the reports on Wednesday as some users helped in spreading them online.
The reports had claimed that Magu told the presidential panel probing him that he gave Osinbajo N4bn after the Vice President asked him to release part of the recovered loot.
The Vice President, in a statement issued on Wednesday night by his spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, said he would not be distracted by what he termed as “blatant falsehood.”
Osinbajo said the publications have been referred to the relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate, according to him, the “defamatory” contents they contain.
The statement reads: “the attention of the Office of the Vice President has been drawn to a series of tweets and online publications by PointBlank News and Newsreel.com.ng today 8th July 2020, credited to the same person, one Jackson Ude.
“In essence, Ude’s story is that “embattled former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, allegedly embezzled over N39 billion and gave Vice President Yemi Osinabjo (sic) N4 billion, after the VP gave instructions to him to release some of the recovered loots…” The same Jackson Ude has also been circulating a video on YouTube with a female commentator, peddling the same lies.
“With all emphasis at our disposal, let it be firmly stated that these are totally false and baseless fabrications purporting to reflect goings-on at the Probe Panel investigating Mr Ibrahim Magu. They are indeed completely absurd in every respect.
“Sadly, such mindless, vicious and reckless publications have now become the preferred tool of unscrupulous and reprobate elements in our society who are procured with monetary inducement to peddle blatant falsehood, tarnish the image of upright public officials and mislead unsuspecting Nigerians.
“Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, will of course not be distracted by these obvious campaigns of lies and calumny. The online publications, being criminally defamatory in nature, have been referred to the relevant law enforcement agencies for investigation and necessary action.”
