Ezekwesili vows to sue media outfits over statements on Chibok Girls

Former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has vowed to sue media houses and individuals who accused her of making ‘malicious comments’ regarding the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

Ezekwesili, a co-founder of the movement, was reported to have said that the campaign to rescue the abducted female students of the Government Girls’ Science Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State in 2014, was a “project with Fulani to tarnish” the administration of then President Goodluck Jonathan in favour of Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2015 general elections.

The so-called ‘malicious comments” had quoted the activist as saying:

“I was doing ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ Project with Hadiza Usman Bala in 2014. I didn’t know she was sent to the project by Fulani leaders to tarnish the image of Goodluck Jonathan for Muhammadu Buhari to win an election.

“Immediately after the election, she left the project and was given appointment as MD Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). Now I believe that ‘Chibok Girls Kidnapping’ was planned to tarnish Goodluck Jonathan’s image for Muhammadu Buhari to win election.”

But in a statement by her spokesman, Ozioma Unabukoh on Tuesday made available to Ripples Nigeria, the two time minister said she “could never have made such a false statement about the campaign she led for the rescue of the abducted Chibok Girls.”

The statement added that those who posted the quote on social media were desperate to malign the #BBOG campaign as well as her advocacy for the Chibok Girls.

It read further: “Ezekwesili never said and can never make such egregiously false statement about the empathetic campaign she led for the rescue of the abducted ChibokGirls,” the statement reads.

Read also: Ezekwesili accuses Buhari of plunging Nigeria into disintegration

“She has commenced legal actions for libel against media outlets and individuals who publish and disseminate this disgusting fake news that was fabricated by those who wickedly continue to deny the failure of the Federal Government in 2014 to swiftly respond and rescue the ChibokGirls.

“The dubious authors of the fake quote had, in their desperate effort to mislead the public, deviously ascribed a false quote to Ezekwesili.

“Propagating falsehood, they fictionally quoted Ezekwesili as saying that the global #BBOG campaign for the rescue of 219 abducted Chibok schoolgirls was a ‘project with Fulani to tarnish’ one administration for the benefit of another in the 2015 elections.

“The original author and other peddlers of the fake news have already been identified and reported to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and other social media platforms, which are taking appropriate actions.”

By Isaac Dachen…

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now