Emmanuel Omale, founder of Divine
Hand of God Prophetic Ministries International, Abuja, has threatened to file a
suit against NAN over a report that he helped Ibrahim Magu, suspended acting
chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) acquire a
property in Dubai.
NAN had published a report of the
Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets (PCARA), which probed
assets recovered by the EFCC from May 2015 to May 2020.
In the report, Omale was said to
have been used by Magu to launder funds.
He was reportedly uncovered
during an investigation on EFCC’s activities by the Nigeria Financial
Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
According to the report, the
cleric bought a landed property on behalf of Magu worth N573 million in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates.
But in a letter by Gordy Uche
(SAN), his lawyer, Omale described the report as malicious, derogatory and
libelous.
He said it “reeks of calumny,
denigration, actuated by malice, and calculated to ridicule and disparage him,
and clearly a hatchet job ingeniously crafted to cast a stain on his
reputation”.
“Our client’s attention has been
drawn to the extremely malicious, derogatory and libelous publication with the
caption – “HOW MAGU USED ‘PASTOR’ TO LAUNDER RE-LOOTED FUNDS ABROAD – REPORT”
posted on your website – www.nannews.ng on the 11th day of July 2020,” the
letter read.
“We, however, wish to make the
following clarifications to put the public records straight:
“That our client, only visited
Mr. Ibrahim Magu in a Hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, sometime in March
2020.
“That our client never laundered
any funds whatsoever for Mr. Ibrahim Magu, nor for anybody whatsoever.
“That our client does not own any
foreign bank account anywhere in the world. That there are no funds whatsoever
traceable from Mr. Ibrahim Magu to our client’s Bank accounts whatsoever
neither has our client received any funds whatsoever from Mr. Ibrahim Magu. Our
client has never received any funds whatsoever from anybody on behalf of Mr.
Ibrahim Magu.
“That our client does not own any
property in Dubai. His name was never used to purchase any property whatsoever
in Dubai, United Arab Emirate or anywhere else in any part of the world,
neither has he purchased any property or properties for Mr. Ibrahim Magu in any
part of the world whatsoever.”
Omale said he had been subjected
to ridicule as a result of the story, demanding an immediate apology and
retraction from NAN.
“We wish to state that by reason
of the said libelous publication which was read by millions of persons all over
the world, our client has been severely injured in his reputation, character
and calling. Our client has thereby been brought into ridicule, public scandal,
hatred, denigration, odium and contempt, and lowered in the estimation of
right-thinking members of the society,” he said.
“We therefore, demand the
immediate retraction of the libelous publication by way of an unequivocal
APOLOGY to our client prominently published in at least three (3) National
Newspapers not later than 7 (Seven) days from the date of your receipt of this
letter and that you restrain from further defamation of our client forthwith
otherwise, a libel suit against NAN will commence you, your Organization,
claiming the sum of N1, 000,0000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as exemplary, aggravated,
general damages for defamation, and for injunction if you fail to comply.
“Further take notice that this
letter constitutes our formal notice of intention to sue.”
Magu is currently being grilled
by a panel President Muhammadu Buhari set up to probe the EFCC under his watch.
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