Port Harcourt, Rivers State — The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has issued a powerful legal demand for an immediate retraction and unreserved public apology from The Punch and Daily Times newspapers, amongst other publications, over a report falsely linking the Commission’s Chief Executive to an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.
The strongly-worded letter of demand, signed by Chief Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, of Adedipe & Adedipe Legal Practitioners, asserts that the reports are “entirely false, malicious, and defamatory,” causing severe reputational harm to the Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku.
The legal action targets an article which, according to the Counsel, “falsely alleged that Dr. Samuel Ogbuku… was arrested by military intelligence for allegedly co-sponsoring a failed coup plot against President Tinubu.”
More damaging still were the supplementary claims that purported, “without any factual or evidential basis, that Dr. Ogbuku transferred funds from NDDC contracts to finance an alleged coup plot.”
In a categorical denial issued through his legal team, Dr. Ogbuku stated he has “not been arrested, invited, or interrogated by any authority” in connection with any coup plot or financial misconduct whatsoever. The Counsel further condemned the publications, labelling the reports a “gross violation of journalistic ethics” given that no attempt was made to contact or verify the veracity of the story with Dr. Ogbuku or the Commission prior to release.
The reckless report has, according to the letter, caused Dr. Ogbuku and his family immense emotional distress and embarrassment, with friends and colleagues “inundated” with calls expressing concern over the false claims.
Non-Negotiable Demands and Criminal Threat
Dr. Ogbuku’s legal demands are precise and non-negotiable. He requires the newspapers, including The Punch and its editor, Awwal Owolabi, to:
- Immediately retract the defamatory publication from all their news platforms.
- Publish a comprehensive written apology in at least four (4) national newspapers and across five (5) consecutive editions of The Punch, including all associated online and social media platforms.
The Counsel warns that a failure to comply with these stringent demands within seven (7) days will compel Dr. Ogbuku to institute both civil and criminal proceedings against the publications and their editors, pursuant to the provisions of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
The NDDC, whilst asserting its commitment to the development of the Niger Delta region and upholding the highest standards of transparency and accountability, urges members of the public to disregard the false report entirely and rely only on verified information from the Commission’s official communication channels.
