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Twitter users slam Linda Ikeji after apology to Mayowa’s family

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Twitter users slam Linda Ikeji after apology to Mayowa's family

Weeks after being led into reporting that the #SaveMayowa campaign was a scam by Nollywood actress, Toyin Aimakhu, popular blogger, Linda Ikeji has tendered an unreserved apology over her handling of the issue.

Aimakhu had stormed the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) with policemen after the actress claimed she was fooled into spearheading a crusade to raise funds for Mayowa Ahmed.
In a lengthy open letter she penned to Mayowa’s family, Linda said she got a call on the morning of July 28th, saying the #SaveMayowa campaign was a scam and in order to ascertain the claims she sent someone to LUTH to investigate the matter and she got a report that the police was already involved in the issue and those who were spoken to at the hospital seemed confused over the matter.
Linda said she decided to publish the story when she was sent documents showing that the hospital in Atlanta was not really involved in Mayowa’s treatment and LUTH medical directors denied knowledge of a fund raising for the ailing patient in question.
Linda stated, “People who know me well will tell you that the easiest and fastest way to get money out of me is to tell me you’re sick. I hate seeing people that helpless. Over the years, I’ve donated and also used my platform to raise money for several sick people, including Mayowa Ahmed. Early morning on July 28th, I received a call saying the #SaveMayowa campaign was a scam. That the lady was terminally ill and the family had no intentions of using the money raised for her health to treat her as they had no invite from the hospital in Atlanta, neither did she even have a visa to the US.
“They wanted me to blog it quickly so people could stop donating. I found it hard to believe at first but it was coming from people who were directly involved in raising money for the sick girl. I sent someone to LUTH to investigate; he got there and found chaos. The Police was already involved, people were being questioned, some folks were shouting, he spoke to people in the hospital and many seemed confused. I spoke with those who had called me, and they said 1000%, the whole thing was a scam.
“And I sincerely believe that at the time they told me this, they genuinely believed it to be a fact. I don’t think it was done maliciously. After they sent me documents showing the hospital in Atlanta was not really involved in Mayowa’s treatment and LUTH medical directors denied knowledge of a fund raising for the sick girl, I believed it to also be a fact! And I wrote it. My mistake, I think, was owning the story; I probably should have quoted them. And maybe investigated more. My apologies to the family! The post has since been taken down.
“After investing properly, the police found it wasn’t a scam, that it was more a miscommunication between the parties helping to raise funds and the girl’s family. I spoke about the issue with the Lagos police PPRO and she assured me that the family didn’t have bad intentions.
“The happy news is that Mayowa has been flown to South Africa for treatment. She left Nigeria on Thursday August 11th.” Linda’s letter read in full.
Moments after her apology became public, Twitter users who saw Linda’s apology as unsatisfactory slammed her for the way and manner she went about the issue.
 
Read their tweets below;

 Twitter users slam Linda Ikeji after apology to Mayowa's family Twitter users slam Linda Ikeji after apology to Mayowa's family Twitter users slam Linda Ikeji after apology to Mayowa's family Twitter users slam Linda Ikeji after apology to Mayowa's family

 

By Ahmed Boulor…

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