…demands for apology, retraction…
The Bayelsa State government on Wednesday read the Riot Act to some online
Newspapers demanding a retraction in the report that Government House
Chief Accountant, Ritchie Etonye) had allegedly absconded with $4.6
million belonging to Governor Henry Seriake Dickson.
The Solicitor-General of Bayelsa State, Preye Agedah (Esq), in a letter to
the online publishers, dated September 6 2016 with Ref.
MOJ/SG/PS/111/2016, obtained by journalist in Yenagoa, warned that “any
failure, neglect or refusal to comply with this demand will leave us with
no option than to take out criminal and civil process to seek appropriate
redress.”
Details of the letter below…
Sir,
RE: BAYELSA GOVERNMENT HOUSE ACCOUNTANT’S HOME RAIDED BY SARS,
ALLEGATIONS HE ABSCONDED WITH $4.6 MILLION DOLLARS- DEMAND FOR RETRACTION
AND APOLOGY
Our attention has been drawn to the news item in your online publication
alleging that the Chief Accountant, Government House (Mr. Ritchie Etonye)
had absconded with the sum of Four Million, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars
($4.6m) belonging to His Excellency Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of
Bayelsa State. Mr. RitchieEtonye is a civil servant in the Civil Service
of BayelsaState whose current posting is Government House,Yenagoa.
It is necessary to reiterate that in the said publication, it was alleged
that Mr. Etonye had absconded with the sum of $4.6 million kept in his
custody by His Excellency the Governor. According to your publication,
theBayelsa State Governor gave the money to his first cousin shortly
before travelling to Akure, the Ondo state capital to supervise the PDP
governorship primary which held on Monday, 22nd August, 2016. You reported
that on the Governor’s return from Ondo State, the accountant was nowhere
to be found and his lines wereswitched off. Your report went on to
conclude that theGovernor ordered that Mr. Etonye’s private residence be
searched by the police to ascertain whether he kept the money there and
that they are looking for Mr. Etonyebecause he has evacuated his family
from the official quarters in Government House.
As you are now already aware, there is and there was never any truth
whatsoever in the said publication. In this regard, we wish to draw your
attention to the following facts:
(i)
That the Government of Bayelsa State never lost the sum of $4.6 million or
any such sum as alleged as no such money is missing from the coffers of
the State. There was therefore no reason for any report to the Police and
none was made either by the Governor or the Government ofBayelsa State for
the alleged sum of $4.6 million or any other sum.
(ii)
That at the time your publication alleged that Mr.Etonye had absconded,
the said Mr. Etonye was with His Excellency the Governor in Ondo State and
subsequently in Port Harcourt where His Excellency had gone on a
condolence visit to Mr.Ritchie Etonye’s father whose son Barr.Tamarakuro
Etonye (Ritchie’s elder brother) had passed away a few days earlier.
(iii)
That the police search of Mr. Ritchie Etonye’sprivate residence in Yenagoa
was orchestrated by mischief makers on a false tip that arms were
stockpiled therein. The purpose of this false tip was to implicate not
only Mr. Etonye but His Excellency the Governor who was the ultimate
target of the false and malicious information to the Police. It will
interest you to note that the Police have since discovered that they were
dispatched on a wild goose chase by the instigators of that search wherein
valuable time and effort required to fight crime was dissipated on a mere
hoax.
(iv)
That contrary to your report, the Governor never ordered the search of Mr.
Ritchie Etonye’sresidence, thus making your report completely false and
baseless.
Mr. Ritchie Etonye is a civil servant whose current posting is as Chief
Accountant, Government House carrying out his legitimate duties with
diligence and has never been faulted under any guise by the Accountant
General of the State to whom he reports directly or any other Government
official. We are sure that you are aware that Mr. Etonye who (according to
your report) had absconded, is even now in his office in Yenagoa carrying
out his official duties.
(v)
That the search of Mr. Ritchie Etonye’s private residence was carried out
not by Police in BayelsaState but by Police officers from Force
Headquarters, Abuja on the false tip that weapons were stockpiled therein.
There was therefore no allegation of $4.6 million dollars or any other sum
whatsoever in connection with that search. Your publication was therefore
a figment of your fertileimagination designed to bring the Government
ofBayelsa State and its officials to disrepute and incite public unrest.
It is perhaps necessary to note that your publication was clearly made
without any investigation whatsoever. As a respected online publication,
we believe that even a superficial investigation could have revealed the
falsity of the publication. Unfortunately, contrary to all established
tenets of the practice of journalism, you proceeded to make a publication
that is obviously defamatory of the Government and Government officials.
While we believe that free speech is essential in a Constitutional
democracy, the exercise of that right ought to be accompanied with the
utmost sense of responsibility and due conformity with extant laws.
Besides the issue of defamation (which has both criminal and civil
implications) your publication also constitutes an incitement against
public order. As you are well aware, the Nigerian economy is experiencing
one of its worst downturns in recent times and to publish that a princely
sum of $4.6 million had been stolen from the common patrimony of the
people of Bayelsa State, is (to put it mildly) misinformation with
capacity to incite public unrest. Any form of responsible and decorous
journalism ought to know this. Unfortunately, your publication never
adverted to this as you appeared to be in a hurry to put out a false,
fabricated and malicious publication in the public domain.
We hold it in your favour that while the bandwagon effect of the false and
malicious misdirection of the Police may have led to your publication, the
responsibility to ascertain the veracity of yourpublication still rests
with you. As you already know, officials of the Government of Bayelsa
State are available at all times to respond to your inquiries.
Unfortunately, you never thought it necessary to utilise this rudimentary
practice before making your publication. This is more so when the said
publication has capacity to do incalculable damage and has indeed done
unquantifiable damage to the Government ofBayelsa State and its officials
who are endued with public trust; a public trust that they cherish and
exercise with the highest sense of responsibility.
It is on the above premises, we hereby demand that you retract your false
and defamatory publication and tender an apology to the Government of
Bayelsa State and its officials who have been defamed by your publication.
TAKE NOTICE that any failure, neglect or refusal to comply with this
demand will leave us with no option than to take out criminal and civil
process to seek appropriate redress.
We believe you will handle this with the utmost sense of responsibility it
deserves and promptly make the required amends.
Thank you.