Former Chief of Army staff, Ambassador Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai (retd), has issued a seven day ultimatum to media outfit, Vision Media Services Limited. He threatened to sue the company over their defamatory publication against him during their weekly publication/ programme, Idon Mikiya on November 5th, 2023 which was also repeated in 6th, November 2023 on Farin Wata television channel.
Buratai, in a letter dated November 13th, 2023 by his lawyer, Yunusa, Umaru & Co accused them of defamatory, injurious, malicious, and false publication against His Excellency, Amb. Buratai.
According to the statement, their attention was drawn to the weekly publication/ programme, Idon Mikiya of November 5th, 2023 which was repeated on 6th, November 2023, and was shown on Farin Wata television channel and uploaded to the company’s social media platforms.
The publication according to the lawyer no doubt was false and defamatory and was intended to bring the towering reputation of Buratai to ridicule and cause odium or malignity to him. The programme was a deliberate fabrication and misinterpretation of the intelligent presentation of Buratai at the 2nd stanza 2023 public lecture organized by the Alumni Association of the University of Ibadan on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 titled, Public Service and the Imperative for National Security in Nigeria.
The statement revealed that since the publication, Buratai has received countless phone calls and text messages from family, friends, colleagues, and associates who incessantly call to commiserate and enquire about the said publication.
Consequently, the management of the publication company was demanded to publish a retraction of the said defamatory piece in three National Newspapers inclusive of their own platform where the false publication was aired within seven days.
