Lawyers to President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter; Mrs. Zahra Buhari-Indimi have ordered publishers of Sahara Reporters to make a retraction of their story in which the President’s daughter was said to have received the sum of N2.5billion out of N51billion allegedly defrauded Nigerian Government by a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service.
In a letter dated March 8, 2021 (a copy of which is available to TECHLife Media), Bashiru, Nasiru & Co (legal representatives to Zahra, have demanded among other things, a retraction of the offending story, publishing same on Sahara Reporters Twitter Handle and in three national daily newspapers with apology.
In the letter titled “Injurious and Defamatory Publications Against Zahra Buhari-Indimi (Mrs),” the solicitors referred to a publication made on the 5th March, 2021 with the headline “How APC chieftain Danu, Customs Boss defrauded Nigerian Government of N51billion, wired N2.5billion to Buhari’s daughter.”
The story had alleged that a chieftain of the APC; Alhaji Nasiru Haladu Danu and some top officials of the Nigerian Customs Service recently defrauded the Nigerian Government of N51billion, stating that Danu is an arrowhead in what is now known in some quarters as President Muhammadu Buhari’s oil mafia group.
The publication had alleged that the N2.5billion was transferred to a Foundation owned by President Buhari’s daughter but the lawyers posited that contrary to the said allegation while it is a known fact that Zahra is President Buhari’s daughter, she had never perpetrated any fraud nor involved in any fraudulent activity and could not have defrauded the Federal Republic of Nigeria of N2.5billion or any sum at all in any way or manner.
She has also declared that no Foundation owned by her was credited with such money by the said Alhaji Nasiru Haladu Danu or anybody from the purported Buhari’s oil mafia group.
In the light of the foregoing, Zahra’s lawyers argued that the story was done in bad faith to injure the reputation of the President’s daughter in the eyes of well meaning people.
The demand for retraction, apology and publication is expected to be complied with, within seven consecutive days otherwise they would resort to seeking redress in court of law.
Effort made as at press time to reach the Sahara Reporters Publisher and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Omoyele Sowore to ascertain if he would comply with Zahra’s demand or opt for court action was unsuccessful as he could not be reached through his known phone number.
