From Agaju Madugba, Katsina
Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has asked two officials of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council to pay him N10 billion as well as well as unconditional and unreserved apology in eight national newspapers over alleged defamation of his character.
Speaking at a press conference in Katsina on Thursday, Masari’s legal counsel, Obunadike-Odenigbo, explained that Emmanuel Ogbeche and Ochiaka Ugwu, Chairman and Secretary respectively at the Abuja FCT Council of the NUJ issued a press statement on January 2, 2022 claiming that Masari ordered the arrest of an Abuja-based journalist, Nelson Omonu, and whisked him to Katsina.
According to Obunadike, the press statement, “inundated with malicious intent and falsehood, criminal defamation of character has in no shall measures blisteringly defamed, injured the character and hard-earned reputation of our client painstakingly built an nurtured over decades, thereby exposing him to a lot of embarrassment, public ridicule and condemnation.
“Members of the public, after reading the said offensive and obnoxious material in several print and online newspapers now regard our client as grossly incompetent in his administration and management of the affairs of Katsina State.
“If after seven days, we do not receive any positive response, we shall be constrained in perfecting our client’s final instructions by taking legitimate steps in accordance with the provisions of the law towards initiating both criminal and civil proceedings without further correspondence.“