Bello’s chief of staff: Some people out to defame me

Edward Onoja, chief of staff to Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, says some people are bent on tarnishing his image.

Onoja said this while reacting to reports which said he led soldiers to break into an office.

He position was contained in a suit he filed at a high court in Kogi state. Onoja named Michael Elombah, publisher of elombah.com, and two others as defendants in the suit.

Onoja is seeking a sum of N100 million as damages for alleged defamation by the defendants.

“The allegation is in the extreme because nothing as maliciously reported and published by the defendants took place. That Onoja laboured assiduously over the years and made great sacrifices to build his character and career,” court papers read.

“That Onoja is a distinctive geologist, prudent treasury manager, banker par excellence and a savvy oil and bank professional.

“That Onoja by his past endeavours and present employment is a well-known community leader, a successful politician across his native Igala land, particularly Olamaboro local government area where he hails from, and a ranking official in Kogi state government.

“That consequent upon the defendants’ libelous and malicious publication, Onoja has been inundated with calls and contacts from within and outside Nigeria by all manner of people who denounced the chief of staff as rascal, lawless and unfit for public office.

“That the defendants’ publication was really meant to defame him.”

Thereafter, S. O. Otu, judge handling the case, ordered the defendants to appear before him within 30 days beginning from April 10.

Also, Onoja dismissed a report that he and his family were involved in a car crash as “fake news”.

Bello’s chief of staff said that he was not given an opportunity to refute the story by some media houses who ran the story.

“Fake news is also becoming a tool of trade to preach manipulating lies with the intent of spreading hatred against humanity, causing ethnic unrest, and worst of all, inciting inexcusable violence to boot,” he said.

Wale Odunsi, a deputy editor at Daily Post, had accused Onoja of threatening to kill him over a report.