The Chief Press Secretary to Senator Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Anietie Ekong, has debunked reports of the minister being quizzed by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Ekong in a statement on Tuesday described the report published by Point Blank News, titled: “DSS grills Akpabio, Pondei, Ojougboh over massive fraud in NDDC” as “a piece of concoction manufactured from the pit of hell.”
He noted that “the minister has not been “grilled” by the DSS or any Agency for that matter over the contrived allegations.”
He accused the newspaper of lending itself to people who had fleeced the Niger Delta people through contract scams.
The statement titled “RE: DSS GRILLS AKPABIO, PONDEI, OJOUGBOH OVER MASSIVE FRAUD IN NDDC,” read:
“The attention of the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio has been drawn to another piece of fake news from POINT BLANK NEWS titled: “DSS grills Akpabio, Pondei, Ojougboh over massive fraud in NDDC.”
“We wish to state categorically that this is a piece of concoction manufactured from the pit of hell. It is a figment of the imagination of the author of the fake news as the Honourable Minister has not been “grilled” by the DSS or any Agency for that matter over the contrived allegations.
“It is obvious that Point Blank News has been recruited by people who have fleeced the Niger Delta people through contract scams and they are scared of the ongoing forensic audit of the NDDC as ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.
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“Their modus operandi is to churn out fake news and weave a hysterical narrative of corruption in the NDDC in a bid to truncate the forensic audit and stop Senator Akpabio from sanitizing the Commission.
“No responsible news website can make such an allegation without any shred of evidence to back up its claim, neither did they even attempt to confirm this spurious report by reaching out to the Agency concerned which could have dismissed it out rightly.
“It should be noted that Point Blank News in the recent past has lent itself to be used as a medium to publish series of unsubstantiated news just to smear the reputation of functionaries of the present administration. Senator Akpabio is only the latest victim of this orchestrated plot.
“With the recent inauguration of the last batch of the field forensic auditors by the Honourable Minister, as approved by the Federal Executive Council, with the charge to unravel those behind the pillaging of the commonwealth of the Niger Delta people over the years, the public should not be surprised by these rogue publications in the coming days. They have dedicated a part of their loot to sponsor the blackmail of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
“However, we wish to state that no amount of sponsored fake news and blackmail would deter Senator Akpabio as the Supervising Minister of the NDDC from doing the right thing as directed by Mr. President. The Minister has the overwhelming support of the impoverished masses of the Niger Delta who have borne the brunt of underdevelopment of the region over the years.”
