NDDC boss Ogbuku untainted, South-south forum says

The South-south Emerging Leaders Forum (SELF) has defended the newly appointed Director General of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Dr Samuel Ogbuku, saying he is untainted.

SELF was responding to what it tagged “malicious media reports” by an online platform, saying the NDDC boss had been cleared of all charges by a competent court of law.

The online medium had reported a case of an alleged assassination attempt on the life of Chief Timi Alaibe, where six people were killed in Opokuma in 2014 and another case of alleged N19.2 billion fraud in 2012.

But in a statement signed by the national coordinator of the Forum, Barr. Benjamin Kwalowei, the body said Ogbuku had been long cleared of all the fictitious cases by the court.

The South-south forum which consists of professionals in the region urged the public to disregard the “malicious” reports.

Kwalowei, however, demanded the online media tender an unreserved apology and retract the malicious reports against Ogbuku.

He said: “The reported cases against Dr Samuel Ogbuku were carried out in bad light and it should be condemned outrightly.

“We can confidently state that a High Court of Bayelsa State of Nigeria, in the said case of murder decided by Hon. Justice Kate Abiri (The then Chief Judge) on the 22nd December 2014 had discharged and acquitted Dr Samuel Ogbuku of any wrongdoing.”

Also reacting to the alleged case of N19.2 billion fraud in 2012, reported against Dr Ogbuku, the forum said a Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja, presided over by Hon. Justice A. R Mohammed, on the 10th of June 2015, dismissed the said case.

“Justice A. R Mohammed said in the certified true copy of the judgement obtained by this forum that: ‘The charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/167/13 filled before this Court amounted to an abuse of Court process and the same is accordingly dismissed’.”