Police declare Babangida’s spokesman wanted over ‘injurious falsehood’

The police have declared Kassim Afegbua, spokesman of Ibrahim Babangida, wanted in connection with a statement he issued on behalf of his principal on Sunday.

Jimoh Moshood, force spokesman, confirmed this to TheCable on Monday.

“The IGP has ordered the arrest of Kassim Afegbua for making false statements, injurious falsehood, defamation of character and for an act capable of inciting public disturbance throughout the country,” Moshood told TheCable.

“He is therefore declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force and should report at the nearest police station anywhere he is in the country.”

In the statement which Afegbua issued on behalf of the former military ruler, Babangida asked Nigerians to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari until his tenure ends in 2019.

Maintaining that Nigeria is in need of a “new breed of leaders”, IBB said “enough of this analogue system”.

He also expressed concerns about the high level of insecurity in the country, particularly herdsmen killings.

The former military ruler suggested community policing and added that the time for restructuring had come.

But few hours after the first statement was released, another one purportedly signed by Babangida was made public.

The statement denied the critical issues raised in the first one, saying as an elder statesman, IBB had an “unfettered channel of communication” to the president and he could reach him without going public.

However, Afegbua insisted that Babangida authorised the statement he issued.

He said those who love the former military president more than himself were behind the counter-statement.

“I have been doing this job for about 14 years now. And I have never issued a statement on behalf of the former head of state and he gave a rebuttal. I got authorisation and commitment from him before I issued the statement. It has been in process,” he had said when he appeared on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television programme.

Babangida later confirmed the authenticity of Afegbua’s statement in a chat with THISDAY.