The former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), was the target of a methodically planned and well-coordinated media campaign, according to the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), which revealed its findings on Wednesday.
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the national coordinator of HURIWA, urged the media in a statement not to fall for the coordinated attacks against Buratai that were sponsored, despite the fact that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has not indicted Buratai for any alleged corruption.
Remember how the ICPC broke into a military contractor's Wuse home and uncovered some shocking discoveries before confirming that Buratai had nothing to do with it?
The group claimed to have proof that some organisations had persisted in putting pressure on the ICPC to alter the investigation's findings in order to identify Buratai as the property's owner.
HURIWA stated that this is blatantly against ethical standards and best practises around the world, and that these organisations appear to have been bought and paid for by a senior assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari who is a retired military general.
According to HURIWA's Onwubiko, "We have good information that a retired military general working directly in the office of President Muhammadu Buhari has been sponsoring a campaign of slander against retired Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai with a criminal attempt to link his name with the ownership of the house in Wuse in which it was alleged that the ICPC found some money from a military defence contractor.
In an effort to damage General Buratai's reputation, HURIWA has it on good authority that the retired military commander in the office of the presidency gave some Abuja and Lagos-based organisations wide contacts in the Nigerian press in exchange for N10 million.
“The reason for doing is his perception that Lt.Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai may have been pencilled down as potential running mate to the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress given that the former Army Chief since retiring has devoted substantial part of his time and resources supporting and building up the All Progressives Congress in all nooks and cronies of the North East, North West and North Central regions of Nigeria and is not known to be fanatically attached to his religion but he is a profoundly regarded nationalist.
“The retired general is apparently threatened by the rising profile of General Buratai has he is being pencilled down as potential running mate to the All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The military retired General who is bankrolling this campaign of calumny is also accused of several heists of public funds which he has denied publicly.
“HURIWA warned that civil society organisations should live by the ethics of professional conducts and not be used by moneybags to achieve selfish motives. Besides, HURIWA said a coalition of activists determined to restore sanity and professional ethics of the media practice are meeting to institute a class suit to try to stop some notorious media houses from spreading fake news.
“General Buratai is also encouraged to pursue legal action against defamatory reports against his person.”