Magnus Eze, Enugu
A top official of Enugu State All Progressives Congress (APC), has come under attack for allegedly sponsoring spurious media attack on Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama.
The suspect and his cohorts were alleged to be behind recent reports, particularly in the social media claiming that Onyeama and his Personal Assistant, Chief Flavour Eze, tested positive for COVID-19 and reportedly returned to Enugu with the deliberate intention of spreading the disease in the state.
The Enugu State Government has since debunked the rumour and instead disclosed that the two cases in the state were returnees from the United Kingdom.
The minister’s aide, Eze, in a statement in Enugu, Sunday, accused the suspect of trying to politicise a case that he (Eze) reported to the police against one Nwanjoku James Okugo, who had criminally defamed him through various publications in social and print media.
Part of the statement reads: “The sole intention of the malicious allegations, which he knew to be untrue, was to cause widespread alarm and panic in the state and endanger the lives of the minister and myself by inciting hatred against us through demonisation.
“I, in my personal capacity, reported the matter to the Nigeria Police after the period given to the author of the article to retract the malicious write-up had elapsed. The police have since swung into action, arrested the suspect and are currently making progress in their investigation.
“Instead of the suspect and his co-conspirators to face the issue, they have chosen to rush to the media to cry that the honourable minister ordered his arrest and detention.
“My candid advice to them is to face the case with the police and stop looking for scapegoats.”
