By Olaitan Ibrahim
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has demanded a public apology and retraction from prominent female Northern activist Hajia Naja’atu Muhammad, over claims she made in a recent TikTok video that has gone viral.
Najatu Muhammad had in the video, accused Ribadu of hypocrisy with claims that the NSA is now working with President Bola Tinubu and others he had accused of being among the most corrupt Nigerians when he was the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
But Ribadu, in a letter through his lawyer, Dr Ahmed Raji, SAN, to Muhammad said he had never at any point maintained such viewpoint about Tinubu and others mentioned by Najatu Muhammad in her video.
In the letter dated February 4, 2025, and signed by Dr. Raji, Ribadu said the intention of Najatu Muhammad in the video was to bring him to public ridicule, opprobrium, scorn and shame.
The NSA. who added that the damage done to him by the video is unquantifiable therefore demanded Mohammed Najatu retract the publication and tender an unreserved public apology to him in at least 5 [five] national daily newspapers within seven days of receipt of this letter to assuage the wrong done to his integrity.
Failure to do this, Ribadu said he will seek redress in a court of law where exemplary damages will be claimed against Najatu Mohammed.
The letter by Ribadu’ lawyer to Najatu Mohammed partly reads,“Clearly, in the text of your recording [reproduced and translated above] you stated that when our client served as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes, [EFCC] he allegedly named President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, alongside Sen. George Akume and Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu [all former Governors, and in that order] as the governors in Nigeria who stole the most from public treasury.
“You also stated that today, our client who once held the above odious view about President Tinubu has turned around to be his staunchest defender; especially, with regard to what you stated to be the government’s agenda to silence voices of dissent to the government, citing the alleged arrest of a certain Prof. Usman Yusuf as an example.
“You also stated that our client’s alleged attitudinal change towards President Tinubu means that he has either become a liar or that he lied when he allegedly described President Tinubu, Sen. Akume, Sen. Kalu and other governors as thieves.
“Privately or publicly, our client has never expressed the above viewpoint about President Tinubu and/or Senators George Akume and Orji Uzor Kalu, which you attributed to him.
“In fact, our client has never held such a viewpoint about the President; hence, it came as a complete surprise to him when his attention was drawn to the aforesaid publication by you against him.
“In the foregoing premise, our client hereby challenges you to provide evidence of your allegations therein against him; which have cast him as double-faced, duplicitous and deceitful in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society.
“Although masked as a clarion call to the North to rise up to your perceived injustice against the North by the government of the day, your publication is also inciteful of violence towards our client. Given this far-reaching ramification of your publication, our client will not sit back and watch his hard-earned reputation and goodwill destroyed by your malicious decision to not only lay false allegations against him, but also, to cause the same to be published for the world’s attention.
“Your intention to bring our client to public ridicule, opprobrium, scorn and shame etc., is laid bare when it is considered that you deliberately caused same to be published on social media, where it has since gone viral.
“Surely, the damage occasioned to our client by your deliberate but ill-advised action is unquantifiable. However, our client will be assuaged if you retract the said publication and tender an unreserved public apology to him in at least 5 [five] national daily newspapers within 7 [seven] days of receipt of this letter. If not, we have our client’s further instructions to seek redress against you in a court of law where exemplary damages will be claimed against you. Kindly be advised.”