'I am not hiding,' Ex- minister denies fleeing Nigeria over arms deal probe

yinka ogunlami

December 30, 2015 9:35 AM

Former minister, Senator Musiliu Obanokoro has debunked allegations and reports from Sahara reporters that he was hiding from being investigated by the EFCC.

In a swift response, Obanikoro has come out to defend himself, calling the report “a dirty campaign of calumny and pure blackmail.”

Read: Has ex-minister sneaked out of Nigeria to avoid arms deal probe?

The former minister of state for defense, through a statement released by his media aide, Demola Olarenwaju, blasted reporters for circulating false news about him.

Obanikoro went further to threaten to file a law suit against the online reporters by using his facebook page to debunk the claims.

“Ordinarily, I wouldn’t dignify Sahara Reporters with a response to the baseless and shameful journalism it practices, but there is a limit even to new media madness.

“Dragging my children into your deliberate campaign and onslaught against my person, however will not be ignored and I demand you cease and refrain from this practice and limit your scope to me only.

“For the record, I have been in public service since 1992, and I have never owned or currently own a home anywhere in the world outside Nigeria, however I am proud of my son and his family who are private citizens for their accomplishment as they have the right to do so.

“I still have a case against @SaharaReporters and its owner filed at their “Hide Out” in the State of New York, and this will certainly add to the body of evidence against this hack-journalism platform.

“Perhaps this is in retaliation to the suit, but be rest assured, I won’t be deterred and will pursue this to a logical conclusion.

“While I remain open to answering any question on my conduct as a public servant in any administration at state and federal levels in Nigeria, I urge responsible practitioners of Journalism to refrain from helping hack journalists bring their profession into disrepute with baseless rumours and the blind crusade of an already biased and bought media platform.

“My aspirations now therefore are to seek further education as I am doing in pursuit of a degree in History at the Oglethorpe University based in Georgia USA and to Mentor the next generation of leaders in Nigeria,” the former minister wrote on his Facebook page.

yinka ogunlami