EFCC Demands Apology Over NNPCL GCEO “Abduction” Allegation
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has given online news outlet People’s Gazette 48 hours to retract a report accusing its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, of abducting and coercing Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) CEO, Bayo Ojulari, into resignation.
Defamation Claim and Legal Threat
The EFCC, in a letter signed by Olukoyede’s counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, described the article as defamatory and damaging. The letter called for an unreserved apology, a public retraction, and the removal of the story from all platforms.
“The publications and the imputations conveyed by them are so damning and cannot be ignored or treated with levity,” the lawyer wrote.
Failure to comply, the letter warned, will lead to a defamation lawsuit.
People’s Gazette Report Under Fire
People’s Gazette had alleged on Saturday that Olukoyede, in collaboration with the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, compelled Ojulari to resign at a secret location in Abuja.
The report further linked the act to political interference allegedly driven by British-Nigerian oil magnate Olatimbo Ayinde, who was described as having close ties to the Tinubu administration.
EFCC Denies, Labels Report a “Fairy Tale”
Olukoyede dismissed the allegations as entirely false, saying the story was “a fairy tale concoction” intended to discredit him and the EFCC.
“It is uncharitable and calculated to portray me as someone who has betrayed and subverted public trust by submitting the authority of my office to the dictates and directives of one Olatimbo Ayinde,” he said.
Presidency Angle Escalates Tensions
A follow-up piece by People’s Gazette claimed that First Lady Senator Remi Tinubu had intervened in the matter, allegedly rejecting Ojulari’s resignation.
The EFCC’s legal counsel has now formally placed the publication on notice for litigation, should it refuse to meet the demands within the 48-hour deadline.
“My client shall issue a Writ in the tort of defamation in order to afford you an opportunity to prove your disparagement of his character and reputation,” the letter concluded.
