Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is determined to defend his integrity in the $43 million Lagos cash haul controversy.
Days after former Aviation Minister, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, and Special Assistant, New Media to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Mr. Lere Olayinka, accused him of being the owner of the money, Amaechi has instructed his lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to write the duo.
He has given them a seven-day ultimatum to publicly apologise and pay N1.25 billion to him or risk legal actions.
Apart from the demand for an apology from the duo to be published in five national dailies and their Twitter handle, Amaechi specifically asked for the sum of N500 million from Fani-Kayode “as compensation for the malicious and defamatory claim”.
He, however, cautioned that the amount might increase should Fani-Kayode fail to address the situation as expected, while Olayinka was asked to also apologise in five national dailies and pay the sum of N750 million “as compensation for the malicious and defamatory claim” on his (Olayinka) Twitter handle.
Amaechi insisted that he had nothing to do with the property in question and the N13 billion discovered.
Amaechi said he was seeking justice because he had been defamed by messages on the Twitter timeline of Fani-Kayode and Olayinka, concerning the controversy surrounding the recovered money.
Amaechi had in the copies of the two letters dated April 14, 2017 quoted the offensive aspect of Fani-Kayode and Olayinka respectively as “The $43 million is Rotimi Amaechi’s. He owns the flat it was found in (sic) too. NIA’s story is fake news! NIA does not keep cash in minister’s flats.
“The Osborne Towers, a luxury residential complex in Ikoyi, Lagos, where EFCC said it found $43,449,987, 27,800 pounds N23,218,000 on Wednesday is owned by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi”.
