A fabricated statement attributed to the renowned legal luminary, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, surfaced in a news blog titled “Why Has EFCC Not Arrested Yari and Mattawale Bello Despite Similar Court Order“ purportedly authored by him.
In a strongly worded response, Mike Ozekhome SAN categorically denied ever making such statements and labelled the content as “a lie from the pit of hell.” He expressed shock and dismay at the alleged trashy write-up, emphasizing that it is devoid of common sense and reasoning. Ozekhome highlighted his decades-long commitment to human rights, due process, democracy, and good governance, distancing himself from any involvement in the controversial statement.
The alleged statement in question suggests meddling in a sub judice matter, advocating for media trial, and pre-trial conviction, concepts that Ozekhome vehemently opposes. He underscored that the faceless author of the alleged write-up even contradicted themselves by quoting a previous statement attributed to him, further casting doubt on the authenticity of the entire content.
Addressing the public, Ozekhome urged everyone to ignore the statement and its banner headline, dismissing them as false, baseless, unfounded, and simply idiotic. He attributed such fabrications to “faceless idle internet crawlers,” a term famously coined by Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka as “millipedes of the internet.”
This incident raises serious concerns about the integrity and accuracy of information in media publications. It serves as a reminder of the importance of fact-checking and verifying sources before disseminating news, especially in sensitive legal and political matters.
