N250m allegation: Buratai demands apology, threatens N10bn suit

Following allegations that he benefitted N250m from funds allegedly looted by the Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari, and the Secretary to the State Government, Mustapha Inuwa, by a business tycoon, Alh Mahdi Shehu, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, on Wednesday, demanded the immediate retraction of the defamatory publication by way of an unequivocal apology prominently published in at least three national newspapers within 48 hours.

Shehu known as Dialogue had alleged that Buratai got N250m as welfare from siphoned funds, adding that he had written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to thoroughly investigate and arrest the culprits.

However, the Chief of Army Staff through his lawyer, Osuagwu Ugochukwu Esq stated that Mahdi should restrain himself from further defaming the Chief of Staff or face a libel suit.

“I have the instructions of Lt Gen T.Y Buratai, to demand the immediate retraction of the defamatory publication by Shehu Mahdi by way of an unequivocal apology to our client prominently published in at least three national newspapers within 48 hours and that he restrain himself from further defamation of our client forthwith, otherwise, a libel suit against him will commence and we shall be claiming the sum of N10, 000,0000,000.00 (ten billion Naira) as damages for defamation and not excluding further criminal prosecution vide law enforcement agencies.

Osuagwu described Mahdi’s publication that accused the Chief of Staff of collecting N250m from the Katsina State Government as irresponsible and malicious, claiming that it is false, fabricated and devoid of fact which was without caution and with intent to cause injury to the hard-earned reputation of Lt Gen Buratai and incite the people of Katsina against the army chief.

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He added that the allegations were without any substantiated facts despite claims by Mahdi on tape that he has verifiable facts and hard evidence because he that alleges must proof, adding that, “the said author went on to procure and spin a typed 15-page statement of expenditure titled “2015 – April 2020 expenditure of escrow security account of Katsina State Government” where he mischievously inserted the name of Lt Gen. T.Y. Buratai on page 8. That was all the said author had as his hard facts to prove his allegation on those he mentioned in the said fraudulent catalogue of expenditure he solely concocted.

“No payment voucher was enclosed. No release warrant for the fund was enclosed. No name of the recipient was also enclosed with time the cash was received forgetting that it will take about 24 days for an average person to count and collect cash of N250 million. Interestingly, the Katsina State Government, the purported giver of the said Greek gift of N250m has debunked the said allegation of the self-styled activist.

“In a reply to the letter from my law firm, the Katsina State Government on 14/07/2020 dismissed the allegation of Shehu Mahdi and disowned the documents being paraded by him as same never emanated from Katsina State Government. It is now clear that Shehu Mahdi has clearly and grossly failed to substantiate the single allegation he made out against the army chief. He merely set out perhaps in concert with his concealed thespians to malign, rupture, denigrate and injure the hard-fought reputation of Lt Gen T.Y. Buratai with such baseless, fictitious and hollow claims.

“It is now clear that the aim of Shehu Mahdi and his cohorts are to cause ill will and incite the people of Katsina against Lt Gen T.Y Buratai and cause the Army Chief to lose concentration in keeping the peace and security in Katsina which he is striving to achieve and has achieved,” he said.

Osuagwu further claims that the action of Shehu Mahdi goes against Section 24 of Cybercrime (prohibition, prevention etc) Act 2015, adding that Mahdi will in no distant time have his day in court to answer for the capricious, reckless, malicious and criminal defamation of the character of Lt Gen T.Y Buratai.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE