The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has not made headway on a case of alleged blackmail involving Samuel Ogundipe, Publisher of Peoples Gazette, an online newspaper, because he is outside the country.
A senior official of the commission disclosed this to Daily Trust on Monday.
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Ogundipe is under investigation over a case of alleged blackmail against the chairman of Air Peace Airlines, Allen Onyeama.
Ogundipe had allegedly used a purported document incriminating Onyeama and offered to trade off the information for $300,000.
The official noted that Onyema later reported the matter to the Lagos office of the EFCC on June 2.
The EFCC was said to have directed Onyeama to play along, leading to a negotiation of the amount between him and Ogundipe.
Onyeama had asked Ogundipe to collect the first tranche of the agreed sum at the Air Peace office at GRA, Ikeja.
Ogundipe had replied that he was in Dubai and instructed one Oluwafisayo Fadesire, a staff member of the media organisation to go for the money.
Contacted last night, Ogundipe did not comment on the matter. He immediately hung up the phone.
One of our correspondents visited the NNPC Estate in Utako, Abuja, the address listed as the office of the publication, but security personnel at the entrance said he could only enter the premises after clearance from the office.
The personnel said it was a standing order that no one be allowed in except on the order and admittance of those inside the office.
However, persistent calls to the office number of the medium were not answered.
In a leaked audio, Ogundipe was heard appealing to Onyeama to intervene in the arrest of his staffer by the EFCC.
He even linked his lawyer with Onyeama over the phone.
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