…Accuses Media of Cyber Terrorism
The family of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani
Alison-Madueke, Thursday broke its silence on the travails of the
ex-minister in London, denying her much-publicised arrest and detention by
the British National Crime Agency over allegations of bribery and
corruption.
A statement by the family’s lawyer, Oscar Onwudiwe, also described as
false a publication by an online news media that Diezani’s step son,
Ugonna, owns three properties in the United States, stressing that two of
the properties were purchased in 1995 and 1997, when Ugonna was eight and
10 years old, respectively, “while the family or a distant relation has no
link whatsoever with the third property mentioned by the online
publication”.
The lawyer, who claims to also represent Diezani’s mother’s family
(Agama,) also stated that neither Ugonna, Somze nor Abiye or anyone
related to the two families was picked up or arrested by anybody
whatsoever.
He stated that at no time was the former minister’s passport seized,
stressing that she was “merely invited, and she honoured it promptly”.
Onwudiwe pointed out that despite all the frenzy over the former petroleum
minister, not even one reporter or journalist had tried to contact the
family to verify any of the publications.
He said: “This may be because they know the stories are false but it feeds
the mood of the moment; hence, the silence from Diezani all along. It is
worth emphasising that Mrs Alison-Madueke was never arrested or detained
and her passport was never seized. She was merely invited, and she
honoured it promptly.”
The two families further stated that in this era of cyber terrorism,
decency dictates that one should respond to false and defamatory
allegations with silence.
“But there is a limit to how much any reasonable person can bear the
tactics of these cyber terrorists. We all know that what makes a lie fly
is the little truth contained therein. This happens to be the weapon used
by most online news media to feed their weird obsession with defaming
highly placed people,” their lawyer added.
Onwudiwe said the Madueke family was appalled by the ongoing media frenzy
against the former petroleum minister by a section of the mass media.
According to him, the Madueke family has no issue with any persons from
the family being invited anywhere in the world to answer questions about
their private or official conduct, adding that the family believes in law
and order, honour and due process.
Onwudiwe however alleged a deliberate and vicious campaign to demonise
members of the Madueke and Agama families, with all manners of frivolous
allegations that have no bearing in truth.
The lawyer stated that the online news media even called the property
allegedly owned in the United States by Ugonna as “posh” and went on to
state the addresses.
The attorney described the publication as lies, stressing that Ugonna has
no property anywhere in the United States and has never owned one.
“The USA is a country which runs on transparency, accountability and
technology. A little honest effort by the online news media would have
provided in a few minutes the true ownership of the properties at issue,”
Onwudiwe said.
According to him, the 11711 Scooter Lane (a three-bedroom town house) in
Fairfax, Virginia, was acquired by the Madueke family in 1997 when Ugonna
was only 10 years old.
He further clarified that Ugonna’s siblings lived in this property while
attending George Mason University in Virginia, USA.
The lawyer stated that records available to the appropriate authorities in
the United States can also confirm that 13116 Silver Maple Court in Bowie,
Maryland, USA belongs to an uncle of the Madueke siblings and was
purchased in 1995 when Ugonna was only eight years old.
“As a student of the University of Maryland in 2002, Ugonna stayed with
his uncle at the said address. All of this was before Mrs. Diezani was
appointed to government office,” he added.
He denied that Alison-Madueke or a distant relation has anything to do
with the ownership of No. 4227 Summit Manor Court in Virginia.
“It is evident that what the online news media did was to turn on an
internet search engine and maliciously reported that every property where
Ugonna Madueke has ever lived in the United States or used as his address
must belong to him. The description of the properties as posh was the
icing on the propaganda cake. This is not only unprofessional, as it
offends the tenets of journalism, it is clearly not in resonance with good
conscience,” Onwudiwe explained.
He also cited another allegation by the online news media that Ugonna and
his cousins registered a company by the name Hadley Petroleum Solutions
Limited which they used to deal in Nigerian crude oil sales.
He acknowledged that as young men bubbling with enthusiasm and fantasy,
they actually registered a company but after two years of no jobs, the
company folded up.
According to the lawyer, the company never had a bank account, let alone
being a trader of Nigeria’s crude oil, adding that the online news media
lied in its claim.
He also noted that the online news media took its campaign to the in-laws
of the Maduekes by alleging that Mrs. Beatrice Agama, the 81-year-old
mother of Diezani, owns a house in the United Kingdom.
Onwudiwe described the allegation as a lie, stressing that Mrs. Agama has
no house or property in the United Kingdom.
“She has been staying in a rented two-bedroom flat from where she is
receiving medical attention for a broken femur. Her son, Timi Agama, who
has been living in the UK for decades, used to have a house in the UK long
before his sister was appointed to government and he sold it long ago.
Since then, he has no house in the UK. Archbishop Doye Agama of the
Apostolic Pastoral Congress in Manchester, who is in his 60s, is a
successful professional and consultant well known amongst his peers, but
he does not own Unit 8 Quebec Building in Manchester which the online
newspaper ascribed to him,” Onwudiwe explained.
He also accused the mainstream media in Nigeria of alleging that the
former petroleum minister attempted to purchase a property on Hyde Park
Street in London “for a whooping amount which embarrassingly ranges from
£12.5 million sterling to £13 billion sterling”.
Onwudiwe said: “This claim is utterly false and laughable, for the amounts
mentioned are only in the imagination of the reporters. This property is
quite popular. It belongs to a well-known eminently successful Nigerian
entrepreneur who would also find this allegation embarrassing as the
intention to sell the property has neither been contemplated nor disclosed
to any person.
“The Madueke family, like most other families, has its own challenges. For
instance, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke has been receiving treatment for
cancer in the UK which started while she was in office. The health crisis
has unfortunately exacerbated in recent times. She completed months of
chemotherapy just last week and she is scheduled to undergo surgery next
week in London. The family has been bearing this challenge with prayers
and as much grace and fortitude as possible; and would plead with all
reasonable Nigerians to pray for her recovery so that she can face this
allegation and give account of her stewardship. Yes, she can—and very
well, too.”
According to the family lawyer, Ugonna’s father, Rear Admiral Allison
Amaechina Madueke (rtd), has been in Lagos and working in his office,
adding that “the lies about his having travelled with a team of lawyers
should please stop.”
Their lawyer added that the Madueke family had taken a decision on how to
appropriately deal with those who are on a mission to soil their
hard-earned family name.
ThisDay