Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and demanded the probe of an online platform, Point Blank News, and Jackson Ude.
The online platform had reported that the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, told a presidential probe panel that he gave N4billion to the vice president in exchange for the release of some assets seized by the commission.
In a petition dated July 8, 2020, titled: “Criminal Defamation of the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), GCON by Jackson Ude,” and written by his lawyer, Bayo Osipitan, Osinbajo said Jackson authored the said report.
He said the United States-based Ude was in the habit of publishing malicious articles against his person and attached printed copies of some of the blogger’s reports to the petition.
The articles, according to the vice president, were defamatory and capable of bringing him to ridicule before members of the public.
He asked the IGP to probe the blogger with a view to prosecuting him for criminal defamation.
Osinbajo said Ude also likened him to the suspected international fraudster, Ramon Abbas aka Hushpuppi, by calling him “Hush-bajo.”
The petition read:
“These vicious and malicious publications are meant to achieve one objective only, to present to his readership and others (Nigerians and foreigners) that our client is a dishonest and disloyal public officer and consequently unfit for the position of Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria he is occupying.
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“We are of the view that unless an action for criminal defamation is commenced against the said Mr. Jackson Ude, he will continue to use his social media platform to publish materials that are false and criminally defamatory of our client’s reputation.
“In view of the above, we humbly request that you cause the above allegations made against our client to be investigated and if the suggested investigation confirms our complaint of the falsehood of these allegations, to initiate criminal proceedings pursuant to the provisions of Sections 391-395 of the Penal Code Act for criminal defamation against the said Jackson Ude.”
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