The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, and the Association of African Writers on Human and Peoples Rights, AFRIRIGHTS, on Sunday linked the online publication concerning the ownership of offshore property by the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Tukur Buratai to an earlier alarm they raised of a well-coordinated plot by some forces opposed to the counter-terrorism efforts in the North-East to launch a smear campaign in the media against the Army Chief.
The groups accused disgruntled erstwhile top member of staff of the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, under the immediate past dispensation of masterminding a well-oiled subterranean smear campaign against the person of the COAS, adding that the same elements, who they tagged ‘wounded lions’, had tried to drag Buratai’s reputation into the fray of the ignoble arms procurement deal.
“The self evident truth is that the sponsor of this allegation believes that he and his co-travellers have an axe to grind with the Army authority because he and his newly recruited co-travellers have eventually lost out in the power configuration and are now doing everything outside of the rule books to destroy the image of the top Army General whom they see as the man who sealed their fate in the military institution.
“We will refrain from mentioning names but not out of ignorance of the character(s) behind this blackmail but because of certain legal issues we will stop at this. But be rest assured that this current smear campaign has been on the planning stage for many Months,” they stated, expressing delight that the Army has officially debunked the allegations.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on behalf of the two groups, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko explained that they are not holding brief for Buratai, but were only fighting for the fundamental rights of the Army Chief just like they have done for the average Nigerian. He wondered what is the big deal about an individual buying property in Dubai as if Dubai is heaven.
He challenged those raising allegations to do so based on concrete evidence “that so so and so amount of money was missing at so so and so time. If they say the properties were bought three years back; where was the man when the properties were bought. The official defence that have been given by the army is that the properties were bought from the savings and people are doubting that properties can be bought from savings. Everybody here knows the potency of having the discipline to save.”
Noting that the masterminds have made several attempts to plant same story in some Abuja-based mainstream newspapers but failed because “the allegations failed the simple test of credibility and thorough scrutiny,” Onwubiko regretted that it is because some online platforms have allowed themselves to be used by those out to damage the reputation of others that some reactionary elements in the National Assembly are trying to enact a law that will curtail the fundamental freedom of expression.
His words, “This onslaught on the integrity of the COAS has now moved to a level where all sorts of innuendos are being spread because of the publication of the allegation by an online platform that at best can be described as cesspool of gossips and jaundiced stories that mostly can’t stand the test of time.
“Recall that this same online platform has become notorious for planting stories and waging war against select persons even as the founder of the online platform that has splashed these tissues of lies against COAS was reported as admitting that he is not a PROFESSIONAL JOURNALIST AND THAT HIS PLATFORM IS AN ALL COMERS AFFAIRS. Sahara Reporters is also known to have waged campaign of calumny against Mr. Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People of Biafra and the South East of Nigeria generally. So this online platform that has severally splashed hate stories against Igbo can go at any length to serve the interest of its paymaster.
“So it is just anything goes. Sadly, because of the high gullibility of most Nigerians who take hook, line and sinker even stories that are completely fabricated out of the illiterate mindsets of their authors, these latest rounds of gossip used in this discredited online medium is one amongst many that it has planted to attempt at damaging the public standing of many individuals especially those of them in government who may not want to confront this vessel of half baked stories to a standstill.
“Already the Army has responded. But some persons are questioning how come that the COAS bought himself a property in Dubai as if it is no longer legitimate for honest persons to honestly acquire property offshore when in fact as persons who have travelled we in these organizations are aware that even gatemen in some nite clubs in Britain who are originally from Nigeria have honestly bought property in such prestigious places as central London.
“We know many honest traders in Abuja who legitimately own properties in Dubai and other foreign jurisdictions.
“Whilst we don’t hold brief for COAS we make haste to ask Nigerians to be patient and await the final reports of the Presidential panel on the so called arms procurement scandal since most of these ‘revelations’ are being challenged in competent courts of law for determination.
“The Nigerian Government is yet to publish the final reports of that panel. As you know a member of that panel was recently caught with huge bribe money which he allegedly was keeping for some high net persons in some Anti-graft institutions. Already the Acting Chairman of EFCC allegedly mentioned as a close friend of this indicted erstwhile top Air force General has accused his close friends of duping unsuspecting members of the public.
“Sahara Reporters which holds brief for EFCC right from the tenure of the first Chairman has begun another campaign of calumny against the Chief of Staff to the President and the DG of DSS and ridiculously mentioned the Publisher of Thisday as being part of the larger plots to unseat the acting Chairman of EFCC. This goes to show that in that discredited online medium it is just anything goes without regards for objectivity, balance, fairness and quality control which are the hallmarks of credible media outlets.
“We may have our differences with the way certain actions of some soldiers have happened especially in some internal security operations for instance we have protested vehemently the killings of scores of Igbo protesters recently in Onitsha and we have loudly called for investigation and prosecution of the officers on ground and operatives who shot and killed unarmed protesters but on this particular sensational story of owning offshore property made against the COAS we are sure of the biased and destructive intents of the authors and we are on record to have raised alarm few months back in which most media houses gave us extensive coverage but we are doing this to let Nigerians know that this is an attempt to hoodwink the Presidency to have doubts about the integrity of his top Generals.
“This is simply an illiterate smear campaign and as you know most of the underlying ingredients of falsehood have contained therein in that gossip story have been successfully debunked by the Army spokesman.
“Lastly, it is a fact that the dust over the recent gale of retrenchment in the Army is yet to die down so it is these atmospherics that are been exploited by this blackmailer and his Co-travelers to whip up public sentiments by seeking to demolish the records of integrity and transparent service to Fatherland that are being rendered by Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.
“We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to discountenance and disregard and indeed resist this latest attempt to pull down an excellent military officer who in our considered opinion based on empirical data is totally committed to rendering quality service to our fatherland, Nigeria.”
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