Buratai Threatens Court Action Against Mahdi, Gives 48Hrs For Retraction

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has threatened court action against Mahdi Shehu for malicious publication and accusing the Army Chief for receiving N250 million from Katsina state government.

Buratai also asked Mahdi Shehu to retract his allegation on three local newspapers in Katsina and apologize to him within 48 hour from today Tuesday, 21st July, 2020 or face court action and demand for N10 billion damages on him.

The Chief of Army Staff who spoke through his private legal counsel, Osuagwu Ugochukwu ESQ. said this  in a world press conference at NUJ press centre in Katsina to  debunked the allegation.

He said, “in a reply to the letter from my Law firm, the katsina state government on 15/07/2020 with reference number SEC. 258/vol.vi436 dismissed the allegation of Shehu Mahdi and disowned the documents being paraded by him as same never emanated from katsina state government. Certainly, a case of forgery.

“The action of Shehu Mahdi clearly goes against section 24 of the cybercrime ( prohibition, prevention etc) Act 2015. Certainly Shehu Mahdi will in no distant time have his day in court to answer for this capricious, reckless, malicious and criminal defamation of the character of Lieutenant General TY Buratai.”

He added that the era of where public officers are instrumental  blackmail, harassed and intimidated by people in the like of Mahdi needs to be curtailed, ” in this era of hate speech, there is need to put an end to the mindless and unfounded electronic and social media harassment of public officers in the country.”

Explaining further that whistle blowing policy of the government should not any way be abused and “whosoever must be quick to mention that whistle must be blown for the right reason always or we stand blown – off by the pressure of our whistle.

“I further gave the instructions of Lieutenant General TY Buratai to demand the immediate retraction of the defamation publication by Shehu Mahdi by way of an unblurred and unequivocal apology to our client prominently in at least three (3) local newspaper in katsina state from within 48 hours and that he restrain himself from further defamation if our client forthwith otherwise.

“A libel suit against him will commence and I shall be claiming the sum of N10, 000,000,000,00 (ten billion naira) as damages for defamation and not excluding further criminal prosecution vide law enforcement agencies including that of the directorate of legal service  (Army).”