Hon Betara exonerated from alleged $5k Sallah gift to Reps members claim

Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara, the lawmaker representing Biu/Bayo/Shani and Kwaya Kusar Federal Constituency of Borno State in the House of Representatives, has been exonerated from the alleged $5,000 cash gifts to lawmakers.

This followed a media report quoting Betara, saying that members of the lower legislative chamber received $5,000 each, as Sallah gifts. The report surfaced to debunk the claim that the executive distributed the amount to induce lawmakers to endorse President Bola Tinubu's emergency rule in Rivers State.

A Nigerian investigative journalist, Jaafar Jaafar, shared on his X details of an alleged phone chat with Betara, in which the Borno lawmaker admitted that the cash distribution was part of a long-standing tradition and unrelated to the political crisis in Rivers State.

ALSO READ: Lawmakers deny accepting $5,000 to endorse Tinubu’s emergency rule in Rivers

Group exonerates Betara

Meanwhile, a group, The North East Star, has defended Batara, condemning the report as malicious and fabricated.

This is contained in a statement issued by the group's Executive Director, Mallam Ibrahim Goni, on Monday, March 24, 2025.

It categorically dismissed the claims as sheer falsehood and a desperate attempt to smear Betara’s reputation.

It stressed that Betara, who is also Chairman of the House Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), never made any admission to any journalist.

“Let it be clear: At no point did Hon. Betara tell any journalist that lawmakers received $5,000 for Sallah. This is a complete fabrication, designed to mislead the public and create unnecessary controversy,” said the group.

Goni accused certain individuals of deliberately spreading falsehoods to create friction between Betara and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

“We know the agenda at play here—there are forces unhappy with Betara’s good working relationship with the Speaker and his colleagues. They are now resorting to cheap blackmail to tarnish his image. But Nigerians are not fools; they can see through this poorly scripted lie,” Goni added.

He further described the report as “unprofessional journalism at its worst” and demanded an immediate retraction from those behind the falsehood.

“We challenge anyone peddling this fake story to produce verifiable evidence. If not, they should retract it immediately and tender an apology. Hon. Betara is a respected lawmaker with a track record of integrity. No amount of lies will change that.”

ALSO READ: Abbas, House of Reps get strong backing for endorsing emergency rule in Rivers

The North East Star also called on media houses to be more responsible and verify information before publishing baseless accusations.

“Journalism is about facts, not fiction. Spreading outright lies to serve political interests is disgraceful and should have no place in the media,” Goni admonished.

The group warned that failure to withdraw the false report would attract serious consequences, including legal action.