Petroleum Minister sues media houses over missing NNPC oil funds

monjola sotubo

March 18, 2015 8:42 AM

The funds were reported missing from the coffers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has sued 11 organizations and individuals over the missing $20billion oil funds.

The funds were reported missing from the coffers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

Mrs Alison-Madueke has filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain members of the media from linking her with the missing money.

The defendants in the case are the All Progressives Congress (APC), Vanguard Media Limited and its editor, Mideno Bayagbon, Leadership Newspapers Group Limited and its editor Ekele Peter Agbo, Premium Times Services Limited and its editor in chief, Dapo Olorunyomi, and Vintage Press Limited and its editor, Lekan Otufodunrin.

Also joined in the application were the National Broadcasting Corporation and the Nigerian Press Council.

The minister’s lawyer, Godwin Obla obtained an interim injunction from the court restraining the defendants from “publishing or causing to be published any further defamatory statements” stating or suggesting that the minister “stole, misappropriate or colluded in the stealing of $20billion crude oil revenue”.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke is the chairperson of the NNPC’s board.

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