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Defamatory: Victory For Press Freedom As BSN Sports Humiliates NFF’s Ruth David In Court

Published

1 year ago

March 6, 2023

By Niyi Busari

The Acting Director of Competition, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ruth David, today (Monday) lost its defamatory case against BSN Sports filed at the FCT High Court, Gwagwalada over a publication titled “U20 FIFA World Cup – Allowance Scandal Hits Falconets Camp,” BSNSports.com.ng can report.

In 2018, two months after the publication, Ruth David sued BSN Sports in the suit number CV/1975/2019 for defamation adding that the publication is aimed at disparaging her personality. She however, prayed that the court asked the defendant to pay the sum of Twenty million naira (N20m).

BSN Sports on 4th August, 2018 few weeks after the Nigeria U20 women’s team, the Falconets lost out at the world Cup wrote the story that the federation failed to pay the players and officials match bonuses and allowance for the African qualifiers and 10-day camping in Austria.

Ruth David in her written address before the court showing the payment of the players and officials of the team for allowance received for one win and one draw at the World Cup. The payment of the two-match allowance according to the exhibit was paid on 4th October, 2018 while the story was published two months (August 2018) before the purported payment. More so, the publication dwelled on the non-payment of the six matches the team played during the African Qualifiers where they won five games and drew one.

Defendant lawyer, Barrister Dr. Celsus Ukpong (esq) stated unequivocally that the publication was not aimed at Ruth David but the NFF who didn’t see the publication as defamatory and reason they refused to be joined in the case.

Not being convinced by the plaintiff claims as she failed to provide enough evidence and witness to back her claims, the judge on Monday 6th March, 2023 said the evidences provided by the defendant were overwhelming that the publication was not libellous nor defamatory.

Justice A.I Akobi, therefore threw out the case and ruled in favour of Mr. Niyi Busari, Publisher BSN Sports.

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NAPTIP Restates Commitment To Fighting Human Trafficking

Published

2 days ago

July 25, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

… decries corruption in law enforcement, weak legislation

The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, has pledged the agency’s commitment to fight human trafficking.

Waziri-Azi gave the assurance during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, in Abuja.

The commitment by NAPTIP follows an investigative report by Human Angle Media exposing how many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt are inhumanely treated and exploited by their sponsors.

Represented by the agency’s Director of Public Enlightenment, Mrs. Kehinde Akomolafe, decried the rising number of Nigerians who are victims of trafficking, pledging that “NAPTIP is fighting on all sides to curb human trafficking.”

Akomolafe disclosed that the agency is aware of the report of Nigerians trafficked to Egypt and has already commenced interventions to rescue them while warning citizens to be wary of “offers that are too good to be true.”

She identified weak legislation, lengthy judicial processes, and corrupt law enforcement officials as factors aiding and abetting trafficking in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world.

“Corruption is endemic and cuts across other countries of the world, and that’s why trafficking is easily perpetrated in Nigeria and around the globe. You find law enforcement officials aiding and abetting traffickers. Some of them know these traffickers from their operations either at the entry or exit point. They give them something or become too familiar with them.

“Apart from the bribery aspect, we also have officials turning a blind eye to trafficking activities, and that’s why for us at the agency (NAPTIP), we are not resting.”

According to her, the agency, from inception, secured 672 convictions, 67 in 2023, and 35 persons so far this year (2024). She added that “NAPTIP is winning the war against trafficking but still wants stiffer punishment for traffickers and the support of the judiciary in hastening cases.

“weak legislation is aiding trafficking. That’s why the agency continues pushing for amendments. Currently, NAPTIP is pushing for stiffer punishment against traffickers that will lead to confiscation of their monies and property.

“NAPTIP Director-General (Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi) is fighting on all sides against human trafficking.

“Where law enforcement officials are found complicit, NAPTIP Director-General does not take it lightly; she doesn’t compromise her anti-corruption stance even when a staff is involved,” Akomolafe stated.

According to the Editor of Southern Operations, Human Angle Media, Kabir Adejumo, many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt engage in forced labour. They are also living in fear as authorities go after illegal immigrants.

Adejumo said victims interviewed during the investigation are willing and interested in returning home, but their sponsors refuse to release their travel passports and threaten to implicate them.

He also revealed that the NAPTIP and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) are aware of the plight of Nigerians trafficked in Egypt and have currently rescued one person.

On her part, the Programme Manager of the Human Angle Foundation, Angela Umoro-David, expressed satisfaction at NAPTIP’s response to trafficking cases while urging the agency to stay on course with their mandate.

Umoro-David called on Nigerians to use a Freedom of Information platform (foi.humananglemedia.com) to help citizens navigate requests for public records from different government parastatals and agencies.

She stressed that the platform “is a website where people can submit their FOI requests to us (Human Angle), and we’ll submit it on their behalf to the particular agency. So we act as middlemen, connecting these government parastatals to the citizens”.

Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation

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