…Accuses Media of \u00a0Cyber Terrorism<\/p>\n
The family of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani
\nAlison-Madueke, Thursday broke its silence on the travails of the
\nex-minister in London, denying her much-publicised arrest and detention by
\nthe British National Crime Agency over allegations of bribery and
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
A statement by the family\u2019s lawyer, Oscar Onwudiwe, also described as
\nfalse a publication by an online news media that Diezani\u2019s step son,
\nUgonna, owns three properties in the United States, stressing that two of
\nthe properties were purchased in 1995 and 1997, when Ugonna was eight and
\n10 years old, respectively, \u201cwhile the family or a distant relation has no
\nlink whatsoever with the third property mentioned by the online
\npublication\u201d.<\/p>\n
The lawyer, who claims to also represent Diezani\u2019s mother\u2019s family
\n(Agama,) also stated that neither Ugonna, Somze nor Abiye or anyone
\nrelated to the two families was picked up or arrested by anybody
\nwhatsoever.<\/p>\n
He stated that at no time was the former minister\u2019s passport seized,
\nstressing that she was \u201cmerely invited, and she honoured it promptly\u201d.<\/p>\n
Onwudiwe pointed out that despite all the frenzy over the former petroleum
\nminister, not even one reporter or journalist had tried to contact the
\nfamily to verify any of the publications.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThis may be because they know the stories are false but it feeds
\nthe mood of the moment; hence, the silence from Diezani all along. It is
\nworth emphasising that Mrs Alison-Madueke was never arrested or detained
\nand her passport was never seized. She was merely invited, and she
\nhonoured it promptly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two families further stated that in this era of cyber terrorism,
\ndecency dictates that one should respond to false and defamatory
\nallegations with silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there is a limit to how much any reasonable person can bear the
\ntactics of these cyber terrorists. We all know that what makes a lie fly
\nis the little truth contained therein. This happens to be the weapon used
\nby most online news media to feed their weird obsession with defaming
\nhighly placed people,\u201d their lawyer added.<\/p>\n
Onwudiwe said the Madueke family was appalled by the ongoing media frenzy
\nagainst the former petroleum minister by a section of the mass media.
\nAccording to him, the Madueke family has no issue with any persons from
\nthe family being invited anywhere in the world to answer questions about
\ntheir private or official conduct, adding that the family believes in law
\nand order, honour and due process.<\/p>\n
Onwudiwe however alleged a deliberate and vicious campaign to demonise
\nmembers of the Madueke and Agama families, with all manners of frivolous
\nallegations that have no bearing in truth.<\/p>\n
The lawyer stated that the online news media even called the property
\nallegedly owned in the United States by Ugonna as \u201cposh\u201d and went on to
\nstate the addresses.<\/p>\n
The attorney described the publication as lies, stressing that Ugonna has
\nno property anywhere in the United States and has never owned one.
\n\u201cThe USA is a country which runs on transparency, accountability and
\ntechnology. A little honest effort by the online news media would have
\nprovided in a few minutes the true ownership of the properties at issue,\u201d
\nOnwudiwe said.<\/p>\n
According to him, the 11711 Scooter Lane (a three-bedroom town house) in
\nFairfax, Virginia, was acquired by the Madueke family in 1997 when Ugonna
\nwas only 10 years old.<\/p>\n
He further clarified that Ugonna\u2019s siblings lived in this property while
\nattending George Mason University in Virginia, USA.<\/p>\n
The lawyer stated that records available to the appropriate authorities in
\nthe United States can also confirm that 13116 Silver Maple Court in Bowie,
\nMaryland, USA belongs to an uncle of the Madueke siblings and was
\npurchased in 1995 when Ugonna was only eight years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a student of the University of Maryland in 2002, Ugonna stayed with
\nhis uncle at the said address. All of this was before Mrs. Diezani was
\nappointed to government office,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He denied that Alison-Madueke or a distant relation has anything to do
\nwith the ownership of No. 4227 Summit Manor Court in Virginia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is evident that what the online news media did was to turn on an
\ninternet search engine and maliciously reported that every property where
\nUgonna Madueke has ever lived in the United States or used as his address
\nmust belong to him. The description of the properties as posh was the
\nicing on the propaganda cake. This is not only unprofessional, as it
\noffends the tenets of journalism, it is clearly not in resonance with good
\nconscience,\u201d Onwudiwe explained.<\/p>\n
He also cited another allegation by the online news media that Ugonna and
\nhis cousins registered a company by the name Hadley Petroleum Solutions
\nLimited which they used to deal in Nigerian crude oil sales.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that as young men bubbling with enthusiasm and fantasy,
\nthey actually registered a company but after two years of no jobs, the
\ncompany folded up.<\/p>\n
According to the lawyer, the company never had a bank account, let alone
\nbeing a trader of Nigeria\u2019s crude oil, adding that the online news media
\nlied in its claim.<\/p>\n
He also noted that the online news media took its campaign to the in-laws
\nof the Maduekes by alleging that Mrs. Beatrice Agama, the 81-year-old
\nmother of Diezani, owns a house in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Onwudiwe described the allegation as a lie, stressing that Mrs. Agama has
\nno house or property in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has been staying in a rented two-bedroom flat from where she is
\nreceiving medical attention for a broken femur. Her son, Timi Agama, who
\nhas been living in the UK for decades, used to have a house in the UK long
\nbefore his sister was appointed to government and he sold it long ago.
\nSince then, he has no house in the UK. Archbishop Doye Agama of the
\nApostolic Pastoral Congress in Manchester, who is in his 60s, is a
\nsuccessful professional and consultant well known amongst his peers, but
\nhe does not own Unit 8 Quebec Building in Manchester which the online
\nnewspaper ascribed to him,\u201d Onwudiwe explained.<\/p>\n
He also accused the mainstream media in Nigeria of alleging that the
\nformer petroleum minister attempted to purchase a property on Hyde Park
\nStreet in London \u201cfor a whooping amount which embarrassingly ranges from
\n\u00a312.5 million sterling to \u00a313 billion sterling\u201d.<\/p>\n
Onwudiwe said: \u201cThis claim is utterly false and laughable, for the amounts
\nmentioned are only in the imagination of the reporters. This property is
\nquite popular. It belongs to a well-known eminently successful Nigerian
\nentrepreneur who would also find this allegation embarrassing as the
\nintention to sell the property has neither been contemplated nor disclosed
\nto any person.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Madueke family, like most other families, has its own challenges. For
\ninstance, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke has been receiving treatment for
\ncancer in the UK which started while she was in office. The health crisis
\nhas unfortunately exacerbated in recent times. She completed months of
\nchemotherapy just last week and she is scheduled to undergo surgery next
\nweek in London. The family has been bearing this challenge with prayers
\nand as much grace and fortitude as possible; and would plead with all
\nreasonable Nigerians to pray for her recovery so that she can face this
\nallegation and give account of her stewardship. Yes, she can\u2014and very
\nwell, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the family lawyer, Ugonna\u2019s father, Rear Admiral Allison
\nAmaechina Madueke (rtd), has been in Lagos and working in his office,
\nadding that \u201cthe lies about his having travelled with a team of lawyers
\nshould please stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their lawyer added that the Madueke family had taken a decision on how to
\nappropriately deal with those who are on a mission to soil their
\nhard-earned family name.
\nThisDay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
…Accuses Media of \u00a0Cyber 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n