Nigeria’s AG, Malami, Petitions IGP Adamu To Arrest Sowore

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has written to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to arrest SaharaReporters Publisher, Omoyele Sowore, over the newspaper’s reports exposing his corruption-fuelled lifestyle.

Malami in the letter written by his lawyer, Sunday I. Ameh (SAN), alleged that Sowore falsely levelled allegations against him, making him look like a criminal in the eyes of the public.

The letter reads, “Mr Omoyele Sowore is the Publisher of an online media outfit known as Sahara Reporters Inc., based in New York, USA, but broadcasts news and other information on the Internet via the Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and other similar social media platforms where same could be viewed and assessed by the whole world and further shared and/or disseminated virally without restraint.

“On the 10th, 11th and 12th of July 2020, Sowore/Sahara Reporters, in what appears like a coordinated attack, viciously inter alia wrote and maliciously published, in sum, the libellous publications contained direct allegations and inuendos.

Abubakar Malami

“Notwithstanding that the stories are untrue and false; Mr Sowore/Sahara Reporters published the defamatory articles in issue mala fide, with the intention to ridicule him before the whole world.

“Malami said since the 10th of July 2020 when the alleged malicious criminal libel was first published, received and still receives several telephone calls and visits from well-meaning Nigerians, his friends, well-wishers and associates from all over the world including those he has dealt with/still dealing with in his official capacity as Nigeria’s Chief Law Officer, many of whom have expressed serious concerns as to his alleged conducts as reported by SaharaReporters.

“Sir, in the premise of the foregoing and given that the publication of malicious libel and criminal defamation published against our client by Mr. Sowore/Sahara Reporters was with a view to disparage him in the eyes of right thinking persons, contrary to Nigerian Criminal and Penal Laws and a gross violation of our client’s right to dignity of human person as guaranteed under the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As amended), we hereby humbly appeal that you use your good offices to investigate the criminal acts perpetrated by Mr. Sowore/Sahara Reporters as implicated in this petition so that the law can take its course against anyone found culpable. Our client deserves justice!

“Similarly, the Attorney-General of the Federation has written and served the publishers of Sahara Reporters. The letter was titled: RE: PUBLICATIONS OF MALICIOUS LIBEL AND CRIMINAL DEFAMATION AGAINST MR. ABUBAKAR MALAMI, SAN BY SAHARA REPORTERS INC.

“In the premise of the foregoing and given that the publication of malicious libel and criminal defamation published against our client by Sahara Reporters was with a view to disparage him in the eyes of right thinking persons, contrary to Nigerian Criminal and Penal Laws and a gross violation of our client’s right to dignity of human person as guaranteed under the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As amended), take notice that you are hereby issued a seven-day ultimatum to retract all the libelous and criminally defamatory publications, and cause to be issued a public apology to be published on your platform and on the front page of three newspapers with nationwide circulation for three consecutive days failing which we shall be left with no other option than to allow the law to take its course against your organization.”

In a series of text and photo stories in recent days, SaharaReporters had exposed how Malami, who was a little known lawyer before being appointed into the government of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, had maintained an opulent lifestyle fuelled by public funds despite displaying a saintly posture before the public.

Sahara reporters