Governor of Benue State, Rev.Fr. Hyacinth Alia has refuted a media report that he gave N350 million Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) to former Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi.
The Benue governor also demanded a retraction, an apology and N5 billion as compensation from the publishers of New Telegraph Newspaper, which carried the “defamatory publication”.
Chief Press Secretary to the Benue governor, Sir Tersoo Kula said this in a Thursday statement.
On Monday, December 11, the online version of the newspaper published a story with the headline, ‘2027: Alia Joins Forces With Rotimi Amaechi – …Donates Lexus LX 600 SUV To Former Transportation Minister’.
The report stated that the SUV was valued at N350 million.
Kula said that in a correspondence to the publisher of the newspaper, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Benue State, F.B. Mnyim described the said publication as false and fabricated, insisting that it was done to demean the character of the governor and to paint him bad as someone using state funds to offer gratification and compensation for personal favours.
Mnyim reportedly added that the defamatory story has made the governor to appear as someone who is insensitive to the plight of the Benue people and party men who supported and voted him into office.
“The publication made available online portrayed our client as unprofessional, unprincipled, unethical, and dishonorable, unreasonable and prejudiced public officer who is insensitive, indifferent, and apathetic to the plight of the Benue people and party men who supported and voted him into office as the Governor of Benue State on the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC).
“The said publication was with a clear intent and motive to vilify, malign, denigrate, disparage and defame our client and portray him in bad light in the eyes of reasonable members of the public, especially to incite the Benue people, members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the general public against our client.
“The publication was made in an invidious, unpleasant, insidious, sinister and treacherous manner and it has inflicted and caused grievous pains, shock, anguish, psychological torture and trauma, humiliation, degradation, dishonor, embarrassment and dehumanization of our client, and reviling and holding our client up to public obloquy, lowering him in the estimation of the public, and exposing him to disgrace, dishonour and contempt” part of the letter by the Attorney General read.
Mnyim was quoted as saying that the publication violated the Code of Ethics for Nigerian journalists and is injurious to the person of the governor and the government of the state, “especially as the governor is someone who is seen as a noble man of sound character, who commands respect in his spheres of influence, among the citizens of Benue State and the general public”.
He called for the withdrawal of the publication, accompanied by a clear and unqualified apology published in the newspaper within the next 24 hours as well as N5 Billion as compensation for the injurious publication, of which failure to do so will attract a court action.