A senior military officer in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Jafaru Mohammed has distanced himself from the N10.9billion assets recently forfeited to the Federal Government by virtue of a February 14, 2022 judgment by Justice Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The 24 assets said to be located in different parts of the country were, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), unlawful acquired by a top military officer.
Gen. Mohammed, in a letter by his lawyer, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), faulted a media report linking him with the said forfeited assets.
In the letter dated March 3, 2022, and addressed to the Editor-In-Chief of Daily Trust newspapers, Gen. Mohammed described as false and malicious the story published in the tabloid on February 15, 2022, which linked the forfeited assets to him.
He claimed that Justice Maha, in the judgment, absolved him by saying:”I observed that the name of General Jafaru Mohammed was never mentioned in the originating ex-parte application and the respondent (EFCC) did not rebut this fact.”
The letter reads in part: “The content of the publication along with the pictorial representation conveys unfounded information that Late General Aminu Muade, Atlasfield Integrated Services Nigeria Limited, Marhaba Events Place, Aflac Plastics and Atlasfield Gas Plant Limited are proxies of our client, when in fact this allegation is not contained in the judgment or the media releases issued by Wilson Uwajere, the Public Relations Officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
“This false and malicious publication has caused serious damage to our client’s reputation and good name amongst his peers, family members, associates, and colleagues who revere and accord him great respect and hold him in very high esteem.
“Your publication which is a faux pas is a bid to tarnish our client’s image by creating a cheap media sensation linking a serving military General with corruption. It is consequent upon the foregoing that we make this clear and unequivocal demand thus;
“That you are hereby given a 24-hours notice from the date of receipt of this letter to categorically retract your libellous statement made against our Client.
“That the said retraction and a letter of apology be published in at least five print media circulated nationwide and 5 different renowned online media outfits across the globe including your own.”
