A plan to rid Nigeria of fake-news and blackmail has been unveiled by the National Anti-Corruption and Security Forum. In a statement titled “So Called ‘Nigerian Concerned Lawyers’ and other Groups Blackmailing Public Officials are Fake and Fraudulent” issued on 28th November, 2023, the spokesperson of the forum Chief Dr. Raymond Ibe Ikechukwu said
“Our attention has been drawn to the incessant fake-news and blackmail of some public officials including the Chief of Staff to the President, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund, the Clerk to the National Assembly and other heads of public institutions by a pseudo “Nigerian Concerned Lawyers” and other fake groups.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, these notorious fraudsters are neither incorporated, recognized or affiliated to the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC), ICPC, EFCC, CCB or any known Anti-Corruption or Civil Society Platform. Available intelligence as well as their strategy of heckling, hectoring and holding protests with rented crowds, exploiting both the mainstream and social media space to ventilate their seditions, and being paid to be silent as a condition for ceasefire, befits them to the status of Domestic Subversive Organizations (DSOs).”
“Accordingly, we urge on the general public and all concern to disregard their spurious, unverified and baseless allegations, as plans are being concluded to work with security and intelligence agencies to investigate the records of the Trustees and Associates of this group and their likes for consequent crackdown, while not been cowed by speechifying on the constitutionally guaranteed Freedom of information, because the same rule is explicit on the limitations of such rights in respect of criminalities and national security. The laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria SHALL be fully deployed to track these self-styled ‘corruption fighters’ and those internal staff of Ministries, Departments of and Agencies of Government who connive with them.”
