UNILAG AD
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Monday, August 15, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • #PandoraPapers
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • #PandoraPapers
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad

Presidency under fire for cooking up document linking Sanusi to Boko Haram insurgency

byOgala Emmanuel
February 26, 2014
Reading Time: 2 mins read
134

Mr. Omokri has the reputation of being government’s online marksman
Reno Omokiri, a close aide of Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan, is wound up in a massive scandal after the digital footprint of a slanderous write-up against the recently suspended governor of the Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido, was traced to his computer.

Mr. Omokri, Special Assistant to the President on New Media, is believed to have used a pseudonym, Wendell Simlin, to circulate an article that tried to link the recent spike in Boko Haram attack to the suspension of the CBN governor, Lamido Sanusi.

The article tried to use a purported historical framework to draw contextual relationship between the suspended CBN governor and Boko Haram attacks.

“Given the quantum of funds that were appropriated by the Sanusi-led CBN on non banking related activities and donations, and the strong desire that he and Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab have for proselytizing Islam as well as their circumstantial links to terror (Sanusi via Gideon Akaluka and Mutallab via his son) it is not such a leap for them to facilitate the activities of terrorists,” the article read in part.

The article was circulated to bloggers and journalists on Wednesday with the third party email address, wendellsimlin@yahoo.com, but an analysis of the document’s metadata revealed that Reno Omokri authored it.

The document’s digital signature shared a 100 percent resemblance with that of others PREMIUM TIMES had received from Mr. Omokri in the past.

The document was created by Mr. Omokri or someone else who used his Hewlett Packard computer at 10:01 on Wednesday. Sixteen minutes after it was created, the document was printed and revised once before it was sent out at 11:54 using the Wendell Simlin’s email address.

The email was sent out using the Nigerian government’s official internet service provider, Galaxy Backbone, from Abuja, Feyi Fawehimi who first investigated the mail told PREMIUM TIMES.

The revelation of the potential scandal angered Nigerians on social media with many calling for his sack.

TEXEM Advert

Mr. Omokri who claims to be a pastor, often posting gospel tips on twitter, is criticized for failing morally and acting criminally by
trying to blame Mr. Sanusi for terrorist killing less than 48 hours after members of the Boko Haram sect murdered young students in their  hostels.

“If it is true that this guy tried to capitalize on this tragedy by forging documents to implicate somebody else, pressure should be
placed on the presidency to fire him,” Pius Adesanmi, a professor of english and respected social critic said on his Facebook page.

Mr. Omokri has the reputation of being government’s online marksman. He is believed to be President Jonathan’s coordinator of internet trolls and  leads the government’s social media onslaught on opposition parties and critics of the administration.

“Some of us who know him know he establishes spurious online accounts to malign opposition,” Tolu Ogunlesi, a journalist, said.

“It is something we know he does,” another blogger said.

The “grave” attitudinal deficiency exposed by Mr. Reno’s email shows a great danger ahead of Nigeria’s 2015 elections, critics say, arguing that it is an indication that the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration would rather reap politically from the killing than put an end to it.

“Rather than solving the Boko Haram problem, he is using it for political gains,” Mr. Fawehimi said. “It is quite low and depressing.”

Mr. Omokri is yet to respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ request for comments as at the time of publishing this report.

Aso Rock spokespersons, Reuben Abati and Doyin Okupe, also did not answer or return calls made to them repeatedly by our reporter.

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket


Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate



TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999






PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

President Jonathan Centenary Broadcast – Live Update

Next Post

Yobe bloodbath: Massive outrage across Nigeria over Boko Haram slaughter of 59 students

Ogala Emmanuel

Ogala Emmanuel

Emmanuel Ogala is an investigative reporter and heads the Digital Strategy unit of PREMIUM TIMES. Emmanuel, an experienced web developer. Before joining PREMIUM TIMES, Emmanuel worked for 234NEXT. His stories have won awards in the 2014 CNN-Multichoice African Journalist of the Year award and the 2013 Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism awards.

More News

Martha Karua

Kenya Decides: Odinga’s running mate hints at appealing election result

August 15, 2022
Monkeypox Virus

Osun awaits confirmatory test on first Monkeypox case

August 15, 2022
Redeemers University student, Oluwatomiwa Akinlaja.

Kidnapped undergraduate regains freedom in Ogun

August 15, 2022
NNPP Osun state Excos

NNPP sacks chairperson in Osun

August 15, 2022
Osun election: voters crosschecking their names on the voters' register pasted on the wall

Amidst protest, Osun electoral commission announces date for LG elections

August 15, 2022
Suspected Taraba kidnap kingpin Hamisu Wadume

Court jails Taraba kidnap kingpin, Wadume, four others

August 15, 2022
Read All Comment

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2022 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • DONATE
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • PT Hausa
  • Dubawa NG
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store

All content is Copyrighted © 2022 The Premium Times, Nigeria