Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu threatened to file a criminal complaint against Sahara Reporters and its publisher, Mr. Omoyele Sowore for falsfully accusing him of illegally raising funds to build police training school in Nasarawa state.

Besides, the IGP is demanding the sum of N10 billion from them over the alleged false information against him as contained in their August 3, 2020 report.
In a letter dated August 6, 2020 and signed by his lawyer, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), the police boss vehemently denied the said report in it’s entirety.
The letter also which addressed to the United States of America address of Sahara Reporters and Sowore, said the defamatory publication is calculated to bring the IGP to the lowest contempt.

Accordingly, the IGP has demanded from Sahara Reporters “a written and unequivocal retraction with an apology carried with the same prominence” on its platform and three national dailies.

Titled, ‘Re defamatory publication against Mr Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, NPM, mni (current Inspector-General of Police): Demand for retraction and unequivocal apology’, the letter also demanded “N10 billion as exemplary and general damages”.

It also threatened that “a formal criminal complaint to relevant agencies” could be filed “without further correspondence” if the IGP’s demands were not acceded to within the seven days period.

Izinyon stated in the letter, “Our client hasten to inform you that these defamatory words in your said publications are farrago of lies, concoctions all calculated by you to bring our client to the lowest contempt as they are a product of you and your online publication to achieve your premeditated blackmail, dubious and diabolical ends.

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“We would not waste our energy here but reserve it at the appropriate”.

The Sahara Reporters’ report was titled, ‘Exclusive: How Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Adamu, Illegally Raised Millions of Naira for Construction of Training School in Nasarawa’.

It alleged that the IGP “used his office to unlawfully compel and in fact threaten Mobile Police Commanders into generating millions of naira monthly through illegal means for the establishment of a Mopol Training Schol in Endehu, Nasarawa State”.

Police spokesman, Frank Mba, had subsequently issued a statement denying the story, adding that the training school had been built with the support of the state government and several corporate partners.

The IGP’s lawyer further denying it on Thursday, stated that the words used in the report “are untrue, fallacious”, noting that Sahara Reporters did seek the IGP’s response “to get a balanced and robust view to the runs of the mills.

He added that the online platform“did not bother to confirm from our client in accordance with international best practice in journalism his response but based your so called charges on unconfirmed sources which you quoted with relish without any qualms but with effrontery equanimity.”