Daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari, Zahra Buhari-lndimi, has reacted to a publication by Sahara Reporter on March 5, 2021 with the headline: “How APC Chieftain, Danu, Customs Boss Defrauded Nigerian Government of N51 Billion, Wired N2.5 Billion to Buhari’s Daughter.”
The President’s daughter reacted to the allegation in a letter by her solicitors, dated March 8, 2021.
She referred to the publication as malicious, vicious and determination to ridicule her esteem.
The letter, entitled: “Re: Injurious and defamatory publications against Zahra Buhari-Indimi (Mrs.),” was obtained by The Eagle Online in Lagos on Tuesday.
The letter reads:
We act as solicitors to Zahra Buhari-lndimi refers herein as “Our Client” and on whose behalf and instruction we write this letter.
Our letter is in respect of your publication made on the 5th March 2021 with the headline “How APC Chieftain, Danu, Customs Boss Defrauded Nigerian Government of N51 Billion, Wired N2.5 Billion to Buhari’s Daughter” which expressly referred to our Client and made mentioned of her in the following terms: –
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Nasiru Haladu Danu and some top officials of the Nigeria Customs Service recently defrauded the Nigerian Government of N51 billion, top sources in the agency told Sahara Reporters.
…Danu is an arrowhead in what is now known in some quarters as President Muhammadu Buhari’s oil mafia group.
Sahara Reporters gathered the N51 billion was meant to improve Customs revenue.
A source said the fraud, which implicates the Comptroller General of the NCS, Col Hameed Ali (rtd.), was named “Revenue Assurance Fraud” by some officials of the agency.
Another source said N2.5 billion was also transferred to a foundation owned by Buhari’s daughter, Zahra, for which Danu is a signatory.
Some top Customs operatives and one Alhaji Nasiru Haladu Danu shared N51 billion. N2.5 billion out of the fund was transferred to a foundation owned by President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter.
Comptroller General Hameed Ali has been on low key since the scandal broke out.
They have him by the vice grip, one of sources said.
This said publication was made on your Website vide the link: http://saharareporters.com/2021 / 03 / 05 / low-apc-chieftain-danucustom s- boss-defrauded- nigerian-government-n51-billion-wired-n25 and through your tweeter account (@SaharaReporters) at 9:00pm of the same 5th March, 2021.
The portion of your publications reproduced above were circulated to over 3,500,000 (Three Million Five Hundred Thousand) of your followers on the 5th March, 2021.
Contrary to the said allegations in your publications under reference, our client’s position is that, while she is truly the daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari, she has never perpetrated any fraud nor involved in any fraudulent activity.
Our client categorically states that she did not defraud the Federal Republic of Nigeria N51 Billion or N2.5 Billion or any sum of money at all in any way or manner.
Our client is a law-abiding citizen and full-time housewife supported by her husband.
Our client is not aware of any “President Muharnmad Buhari’s oil mafia group” or have any connection with any person(s) of such name.
Our client equally unequivocally states that no any foundation owned by her was transferred or credited with such amount of money (N2.5 Billion or any amount) by the said Alhaji Nasiru Haladu Danu or anybody from the purported President Muhammad Buhari’s oil mafia group, and that it is equally not possible for the said Danu to be a signatory to any foundation owned by our client.
Our client categorically states that your publication that, “N2.5 Billion out of the fund was transferred to a foundation owned by President’s Muhammad Buhari’s daughter” and that “another source said N2.5 Billion was also transferred to a foundation owned by Buhari’s daughter, Zahra for which Danu is a signatory” in respect of our client is absolutely false.
The aim, purport and intention are set out to achieve by its contents under reference was/is to injure our client’s name and reputation and reduce her estimation in the eyes of well-meaning people.
What can be deduced from your said publication is malice, spite, viciousness and determination to ridicule and reduce the esteem of our client.
You may need to be reminded that our client is the daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari, the first citizen of Nigeria being the current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and former Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria amongst other positions held by him.
Our client is a decent, honest, innocent and respectable woman and happily married with children and having full support of her husband.
Our client states that, your publication was made with actual or constructive knowledge that its contents are false.
The damaging publication was recklessly made without making any effort to ascertain its authenticity, and this is clear by the non-disclosure of the name of the foundation of our client credited to our client, its bank name, account number, address and the details and of when the purported N2.5 Billion was paid into the account among others, and therefore, the publication was without doubt made in bad faith.
We consequently have our client’s instruction to make the following demands from you to wit:
a. A retraction of the said damaging and defamatory as well as the injurious publications;
b. A retraction of the defamatory publication made @SaharaReporters Tweet in respect of the publication in question;
c. A public apology to our client be issued vide your Website and Twiter account @SaharaReporters be published for seven (7) consecutive days;
d. Public apologies be published in at least three (3) Newspapers with online and physical presence across Nigeria for seven (7) consecutive days.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT, if you fail to meet the demands of our client as stated above within seven (7) days, we shall proceed to perfect our client’s instruction to seek all the remedies available in law to our client.