Pantami has threatened to sue media companies over suspected Boko Haram connections.

By theGazetteNGR

Editorinchief

Posted: April 12, 2021 at 2:59 PM, Updated: September 21, 2022 at 7:43 AM

Our priority as government based on the provision of our constitution 1999 (as amended) Section 14(2)b is SECURITY

Isa Pantami, Nigeria’s minister of communication and digital economy, has threatened to sue some media outlets for publishing a story alleging he has links to Boko Haram.

Pantami was reportedly on the US watchlist for allegedly supporting the terrorist group Boko Haram, according to a story released by NewsWire on Monday culled from Independent Newspaper.

The article, which was widely circulated on social media, elicited a variety of reactions from Nigerians, with many alleging on Twitter that the minister, who is in charge of gathering citizen identity data in Nigeria, was doing so for Boko Haram, Al Queda, and other terrorist groups.

Bashir Ahmad, a spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari, said the media outlets that disseminated the article â€œhave just endorsed a fake report without verifyingâ€ and that ‘Dr Isa Pantami has never been on any US watchlist‘.

As of 2:00 p.m., NewsWire had removed the published article from its website and the Twitter update, which had received over 7,000 likes, retweets, and comments. However, the minister stated that his lawyers would consult with the report’s publishers in court.

â€œNewsWire Nigeria your RETRACTION through your independent investigation has been noted,â€ Pantami tweeted on Monday.

â€œNewsWire Nigeria your RETRACTION through your independent investigation has been noted,â€ Pantami tweeted on Monday.

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Top Stories
FG pays N4.6bn to 55,031 health workers, N9bn for life insurance
Film + TV
Kim Kardashian’s Reaction to Kanye West’s Music About Their Breakup
Life & Living
Magu Probe: Buhari and Unrecovered $142 billion stolen Funds

The digital media platform in a statement apologised to the minister after it

â€œlaunched an independent audit to evaluate the story and found that there was no direct attribution by the said United States Government agencyâ€.

â€œWe do apologise to our readers for re-publishing the report and also to the person of Sheikh Isa Pantami, Nigeriaâ€™s Minister of Nigeriaâ€™s Minister of ComÂmunications,â€ NewsWire said.

â€œWe found that story was published by Daily Independent without attribution.â€

â€œinvestigative journalism requires the investigation before publishing, not after.â€

The minister explained that his lectures

â€œagainst the doctrines and all other evil people (terrorists) have been available for over 15 years, including debates that endangered my life against many criminals in Nigeria.â€

Pantami stated that the government would not stop the mandatory NIN-SIM Verification in order to combat insecurity.

â€œOur priority as government based on the provision of our constitution 1999 (as amended) Section 14(2)b is SECURITY, not just economy. For sure, no going back at all. Let the sponsors continue,â€ Pantami tweeted. â€œIf you are yet to verify your SIM using NIN, do it very soon, b4 (sic) our next action. Criminals are feeling the heat.â€

Got a story?

If you’ve got a breaking news tip, celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the theGazetteNGR entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 08051600130 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.