Residents under the auspices of Kogi Indigenes Collective Interest Group have risen in defence of governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello over what they called “unfounded and irresponsible allegation by a fake news peddler whose stock-in-trade is either to blackmail for clout or cash.”
In their response to a tweet that Governor Bello bribed election petitions tribunal judges to influence them against the cases of some senatorial candidates in the last elections by one Jackson Ude, the indigenes threatened to drag Ude to court and called on relevant security agencies to investigate and bring him to book.
According to them, Ude had churned out many spurious reports in the past about innocent Nigerians and “is known for raising absolutely unfounded allegations with a view to blackmailing politically exposed persons.”
In the statement signed by the coordinator of KOGIC, Chief Abduganiyu Yusuf, on behalf of the indigenes from across the 21 local government areas of Kogi State, he accused Ude of being a hireling of failed politicians who were desperate to use all tactics to pursue their dubious objectives.
He said, “It has just come to our notice that a notorious blackmailer on social media and fake news peddler whose stock-in-trade is either to blackmail for clout or cash has released another unfounded and irresponsible allegation.
“Jackson Ude is known for raising absolutely unfounded allegations with a view to blackmailing politically exposed persons because he is a hireling of failed politicians who are desperate to use all foul tactics to secure whatever they are after.
“This time politicians who might have found that they do not stand a chance at the election tribunal have decided to recruit the well-known peddler of fake news to publish a laughable fiction claiming that Governor Yahaya Bello bribed tribunal judges with N300 million to compromise them.
“Jackson Ude must provide indubitable evidence of his satanic allegations or be prepared to go to jail for a very long time as we will spare no legal means to commit him to prison.”
He said their intervention has become incumbent due to the fact that, in his characteristic nature, Governor Yahaya Bello may just shrug it off and overlook what “this fake news criminal has done and allow him go scot-free.” He added that as patriotic indigenes of Kogi State, they won’t allow that to happen, and vowed that they would fight to defend the integrity of their state by protecting the governor from social media rogue who misuses his page for criminal libel and blackmail.
They gave Jackson Ude an eight-day ultimatum to produce concrete and indubitable evidence of his spurious allegation or be prepared to have his day in court and noted that a colleague of his in the business of social media criminality just got a three-year jail sentence.
“Responsible media professionals must speak out against this stain on their profession by this man who pollutes the social media constantly with ridiculous, reckless, senseless and wanton fallacy. He should not be treated differently from criminals who kidnap for ransom,” the group said.
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