Popular Nigerian activist and politician, Najatu Mohammed has dared National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu to take legal action over her recent remarks about him.
Mohammed had alleged that Ribadu previously described President Bola Tinubu as corrupt but has now aligned himself with Tinubu’s administration as NSA.
In response, Ribadu, through his lawyer Ahmed Raji, issued a letter dated February 4 demanding a public apology and retraction, stating that the claims had caused him “unquantifiable damage.”
The letter refuted the allegations, stating that Ribadu had never made such remarks about Tinubu, Senator George Akume, or Senator Orji Uzor Kalu. It also accused Mohammed of inciting public sentiment against him and attempting to damage his reputation.
The letter further warned that failure to retract the statement within seven days and publish an apology in five national newspapers would result in legal action seeking exemplary damages.
The letter read: “Privately or publicly, our client has never expressed the above viewpoint about President Tinubu and/or Senators George Akume and Orji Uzor Kalu, which you attributed to him.
“In fact, our client has never held such a viewpoint about the president; hence, it came as a complete surprise to him when his attention was drawn to the aforesaid publication by you against him.
“In the foregoing premise, our client hereby challenges you to provide evidence of your allegations therein against him; which have cast him as double-faced, duplicitous, and deceitful in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society.
“Although masked as a clarion call to the North to rise up to your perceived injustice against the North by the government of the day, your publication Is also inciting violence towards our client.
“Given this far-reaching ramification of your publication, our client will not sit back and watch his hard-earned reputation and goodwill destroyed by your malicious decision to not only lay false allegations against him, but also to cause the same to be published for the world’s attention.
“Your intention to bring our client to public ridicule, opprobrium, scorn, and shame, etc., is laid bare when it is considered that you deliberately caused the same to be published on social media, where it has since gone viral.
“Surely, the damage occasioned to our client by your deliberate but ill-advised action is unquantifiable. However, our client will be assuaged if you retract the said publication and tender an unreserved public apology to him in at least 5 [five] national daily newspapers within 7 [seven] days of receipt of this letter.
“If not, we have our client’s further instructions to seek redress against you in a court of law where exemplary damages will be claimed against you. Kindly be advised.”
However, in a telephone interview with Premier Radio on Tuesday evening, Mohammed stood by her statement, insisting that Ribadu had made the remarks while serving as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“As EFCC chairman, Ribadu once said that Tinubu was among the most corrupt persons. And among the Nigerian governors, Tinubu was number one,” she claimed.
She added that the alleged statement was available in a YouTube video and maintained that she would not issue a retraction.
“What is wrong if I said he is bowing to Tinubu? What is he doing as NSA? What security is he providing to the nation? He does nothing other than praising Tinubu to secure his position,” she asserted.
Mohammed reiterated her refusal to retract her remarks and openly challenged Ribadu to take her to court.
“Nuhu Ribadu should take me to the Nigerian Supreme Court, please,” she declared.
