A socio-political group, the One Nigeria Movement (ONM) has told Nigerians to be mindful of blackmailers, extortionists and impersonators who are masquerading as investigative journalists and activists.
The ONM, which described an acclaimed investigative journalist, Jackson Ude and others as unprofessional, said it was time his likes are prevented from further tarnishing the image of journalism profession.
In a release in Abuja on Thursday, which was signed by its convener General, Ahmed Sodiq-Mugoro and Secretary, Babatunde Aliyu, ONM, anchored its argument on Jackson Ude’s claim that he worked as Special Assistant on Media or Director of Strategy and Communication to President Goodluck Jonathan, saying the claim was as false.
The group challenged him to produce his appointment letter duly signed by the Secretary to Government of the Federation.
ONM said; It is important to ascertain the character and integrity of an individual before one can attach any iota of truth or importance to whatever comes out of such individual.
Jackson Ude of Pointblanknews and his colleague have variously claimed to be former aides of President Jonathan. This claim is not only false but extremely dubious. Everyone who served in that respect were duly issued letters signed by the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
In the Public Affairs department and of the Presidency during President Jonathan, there were three of such officials, namely; Dr Doyin Okupe (Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs and Head of Department), Dr Olusanya Awosan; who was Special Assistant on Public Relations and Mallam Nasir Zaharaden; Special Assistant on Public Affairs.
The fact is that it was Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, that introduced Jackson Ude’s Pointblanknews as capable of assisting the Public Affairs department of the President Jonathan’s government to propagate its activities.
Less than two months after Pointblanknews was engaged as part of the platforms of the department, Ude and his other colleague began to drop names and engage in all manner of activities that became detrimental to the image of government then.
They began to blackmail senior government officials with a view to extort money from them. They carried these activities to the then Coordinating Minister for Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
It was these activities that made the office to remove the Pointblanknews from among the online outfits working for the office. Ude and his colleague were subsequently barred from the office.
How then did he come about being former aide to President Jonathan? Should we also say reporters of media organizations that are covering the State House are aides of the President?
The ONM said further that Ude’s history was well-documented, reminding the public of his failed plot against Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala by spreading fake news against her.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala filed a N10 billion libel suit against Ude and after six years of legal battle, a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory ordered him (Ude) Pointblanknews to pay a total of N200 million in damages to the plaintiff.
The judgment by Justice Chizoba N. Oji in suit No. FCT/HC/CV/2602/12 also included an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants – the platform and its founders Jackson Ude and Churchill Umoren – from defaming Dr Okonjo-Iweala in the future.
Ude had used his Pointblanknews to publish a false story against Okonjo-Iweala in 2012, and refused to retract, even after it was proved to be false. Pointblanknews had published the false story, OKONJO-IWEALA BUYS N1.2 BILLION ABUJA MANSION in its edition of January 10, 2012 in which it alleged that Okonjo-Iweala had purchased “a massive home in Maitama, Abuja for a whopping N1.2 billion”. According to the news platform, Okonjo-Iweala was also “pocketing $2 billion (two billion dollars) in commission in the last debt buy-back deal under the presidency of the Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration” (sic) without any proof.
“The story like many others from Ude was false as the owner of the said property, Mr Fabian Nwaora, who was mentioned in the report denied selling any property to Dr Okonjo-Iweala.
“The court in its judgement imposed general damages in the sum of N50 million and exemplary damages in the sum of N150 million against the defendants jointly and severally,” the group claimed.
Beware of those impersonating journalists, activists – Group warns Nigerians
