Army General Threatened To Sue Against Media House Over Alleged Wrong Publication

Major General Jafaru Mohammed’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, has threatened to sue a national newspaper over a report on an EFCC case.

The Army General had been accused of fraud and property purchases while working for the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

Mohammed’s name was tarnished, according to Ikpeazu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), after a Federal High Court verdict was miscommunicated.

Following an ex parte application by the EFCC, Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha handed down the decision in February.

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According to the commission, the late General Aminu Maude, his proxies, and associates amassed N3 billion in assets from illegal activities.

“I noted that the name of General Jafaru Mohammed was never mentioned in the ex parte application, and the respondent (EFCC) did not dispute this.”

The judge stated, “It is clear that General Jafaru is not on trial here, and the Court has not been asked to decide his guilt or innocence in this case.”

Ikpeazu claimed that one aspect of the ruling’s coverage, in which the forfeited properties were linked to his client, was false and malicious.

If there is no retraction, the SAN says they will be forced to file a defamation suit in any appropriate court.

“The pictorial representation conveys false information that our client is represented by Late General Aminu Muade, Atlasfield Integrated Services Nigeria Limited, Marhaba Events Place, Aflac Plastics, and Atlasfield Gas Plant Limited.”

“This allegation is not made in the judgment or in the press releases issued by Wilson Uwujaren, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Public Relations Officer.

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“This defamatory and malicious publication has severely harmed our client’s reputation and good name among his peers, family members, associates, and colleagues, all of whom revere and respect him.”

Ikpeazu demanded that a letter of apology be published in ten print and online newspapers, claiming that the story was an attempt to smear Mohammed’s reputation.