The federal government has directed the police to continue with the prosecution of the managing director of Citadel Oracle Concepts Limited, Benjamin Joseph over allegations of blackmailing the chairman of Zinox Leo Stan Ekeh over an alleged N170 million fraud.
The FG gave the directive through the the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba.
This was made public in a press statement issued by a Lagos based lawyer, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), who disclosed that the government’s directive was contained in a letter dated June 6, 2022 and communicated to the courts by the IGP on September 26, 2022.
Burkaa claimed in the statement that Joseph has a previous court judgment of N20 million as damages awarded against him by an FCT High Court Abuja, for giving the federal government false information.
He alleged that the damages was awarded against Joseph after he accusing Ekeh of fraudulently converting a contract awarded to his firm by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in 2012.
Furthermore, the statement revealed that Joseph is facing another criminal charge for false petitioning before Honourable Justice Peter Kekemeke of the High Court of the FCT, Abuja.
The lawyer stated that he is making the clarification inorder to informing the public to disregard the various sponsored media reports being circulated online and on social media by Joseph against the Zinox Chairman.
He also stated that every available legal means will be employed to address the libelous contents in the referenced publications and seek for appropriate remedies and damages, where necessary.
The statement reads in part, ‘‘we act for Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, Technology Distributions Limited (TD) and its staff Chioma Ekeh, Chris Eze Ozims, Oyebode Folashade and Charles Adigwe (hereinafter referred to collectively or individually as “Our Clients”).
‘‘Our Clients have drawn our attention to several online publications, containing some false, distorted and damaging contents in the SAHARA REPORTERS of October 2, 2022 titled: ZINOX GROUP CHAIRMAN, WIFE, 11 OTHERS FACE TRIAL IN NIGERIAN COURT OVER ALLEGED N170M CONTRACT FRAUD NINE YEARS AFTER.
“A Similar story with the same content was published in OPERA NEWS on 29th September, 2022, and in the NATIONAL WAVES on 29th September 2022 titled: LEO STAN EKEH’S ALLEGED N170.3M FRAUD SCANDAL RESURFACES; and also in THE NEWS MATRICS (Online News Paper Publication) published on the 30th September 2022 titled: FG TO PROSECUTE ZINOX BOSS, EKEH, WIFE OVER ALLEGED N170.3M FRAUD.
“THE WITNESS (online newspaper) of September 29, 2022, also carried the story.
“Copies of these online publications have gone viral on social media and have been read globally by different persons and diverse groups, who have been worried by the content of the publication and have continued to bombard our Clients with calls expressing their utter shock and consternation at the content of the publications.
‘First of all, of great concern, is how a straightforward business transaction between two corporate entities, Technology Distributions Limited (TD) and Citadel Oracle Concepts Limited has been skewed in a manner to give the erroneous impression that a personal business was transacted by individuals, to wit: Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, his wife and his named staff with one Mr. Benjamin Joseph.
“Such personalisation (as carried by the publications) was apparently to achieve an ulterior motive to blackmail, drag, embarrass, and bring down the persons so named in the publication, while the author of the publications appears as a victim and continues to bask in a vain glory.’’
Burkaa further disclosed that reports of investigation reports by various authorities including the Nigerian Police Force, Special Fraud Unit (SFU) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reveals that Mr. Ekeh and Zinox Technologies Limited are not connected in any way to the allegations that formed the basis of the said libellous publications.
He said, “in fact, in all the investigations by the Nigerian Police and the EFCC, Mr Leo Stan Ekeh, Technology Distributions Limited (TD) and its staff, Mrs. Chioma Ekeh, Mr. Chris Eze Ozims, Mrs. Folashade Oyebode, and Mr. Charles Adigwe have been formally and severally vindicated and absolved of any wrong-doing as the entire allegations were found to be false.
“On the contrary, the mastermind of all the allegations, a certain Mr. Benjamin Joseph, is presently standing trial in Court for forwarding false allegations via a Petition containing the very allegations that formed the basis of the referenced publications to the Federal Government of Nigeria. That Charge is still pending in Court.’’
Also, he held that neither Mr. Ekeh nor the other persons mentioned in the articles had been served with any charge by the law firm of FALANA & FALANA, as falsely claimed, adding that they only read of the existence of the charge in the media. Burkaa, who condemned the development, described it as going against all known ethics of the administration of justice in Nigeria, especially as the said charge has been widely circulated on print and electronic media with all its details and the full names of persons mentioned along with the charge number.
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