Two Nigerian Journalists, Fejiro Oliver and Desmond Ike-Chima, publishers of Secret Reporters and ENigeria Online have reacted to a statement by the management of BUA Group over a report by the media outlets alleging that the company was involved in illicit forex dealings with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from January to March 2016.
BUA, in its reaction to the publication described the reports as “false, while also labelling the journalists as blackmailers.
But in a statement co-signed by the online publishers and made available to THE WITNESS on Wednesday, the journalists said they stand by their report.
They further accused BUA Group of blackmail and sponsoring a false media campaign against them.
The statement read: “It has come to our collective attention that a campaign of calumny, falsehood, and deliberate manipulation of truth is being spearheaded and circulated by Abdul Samad Rabiu-led BUA Group in a carefully choreographed half-truth rebuttal to achieve a skewed narrative to hoodwink the decerning public and also to tar innocent and hardworking investigative journalists (Messrs. Fejiro Oliver and Desmond Ike-Chima) who called them out.
“Curiously, the reference to BUA’s forex activities published in selected dailies does not represent the entire picture as it was only a smokescreen to further obfuscate the matter.
“Typically, we would have opted to remain mute and not dignify them with a response on this issue since we have solid evidence to back our report; importantly too, the trove of documents within our arsenal wreaks of stench as our next publications would reveal, but these are precarious times when silence is classed as acquiescence; uninteresting times when dogs eat fellow dogs with reckless abandon.
“Consequently, it is pertinent to state that Abdul Samad Rabiu-led BUA Group has failed to address the crux of the matter, and rather than resort to name-calling and blackmail as a way of avoiding the underlining issue raised in our report, we challenge them to come clean as we will never be cowered into silence by any individual(s) or corporations in whatever guise they come.
“Conclusively, we make bold to say that we are not interested in trafficking in a conversation to nowhere as the auspicious appointment of Mr. Osayande Obazee-led investigation into the operations of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the years will reveal a pandora box of financial sleaze involving BUA and other Corporations that have shortchanged the Nigerian economy.
“And for the avoidance of doubts, we stand by our story.
Signed
FEJIRO OLIVER,
Publisher, Secret Reporters
DESMOND IKE-CHIMA,
Founder, ENigeria Newspaper
