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Lawyers representing Reno Omokri, Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on New Media, have written to demand apologies from online media group, Sahara Reporters, over a story it published claiming Omokri led a band of robbers to a house in Warri, Delta state, from where twenty five million Naira was stolen.
According to Sahara Reporters, pandemonium broke out on Tuesday in Warri when Omokri and armed thugs working under his instructions allegedly burglarized a house in Bendel Estate, Warri, and carted away the sum of N25million naira meant for a pro-Jonathan support group to buy votes for President Jonathan during the March 28, presidential election.
Below is the text of Omokri’s lawyer’s letter to Sahara Reporters.
I refer to your story about my client entitled ‘Jonathan’s Aide, Omokri Burglarizes House in Delta, Carts Away N25, Million Meant For Buying Votes’ and do state that your story is completely false and that you did not investigate the facts before libelling my client, Mr. Reno Omokri. Be it known to you that Mr. Omokri did not lead armed men to a residence in Warri or any other place.
The last time my client visited Warri was in December of 2012. My client has been in Abuja for the past one week. On Tuesday the 10th of February 2015 when you falsely alleged that my client led armed men to burglarize a property in Warri, my client was at his office in Asokoro in the company of witnesses and received visitors, he also performed pastoral duties to members of the congregation of a local church over which he is a pastor. In the weeks before then my clients had either been in Abuja or out of the country ministering and attending to his family.
At no time in the last two years has my client travelled to Warri, a fact which is provable.
Therefore, we are at a loss as to how you came about your story that my client led armed men to burglarize a property in Warri. Your website may be a soft sell medium, but that does not take away your responsibility to cross check facts via investigation before going to press.
Please be advised that we demand that you publish an apology within 3 Business Days or my client will institute libel proceedings against you in New York State from where you operate to clear his name of the false allegations you made against him on your site.
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