September 22, 2021

A coalition of Nigerian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has raised the alarm over an impending blackmail and smear campaign targeted at tarnishing the image of a Nigerian oil company, Aiteo and its founder, Benedict Peters, by an American media outfit, The Washington Post.

The group wondered why the US-based newspaper would allow its medium to be used by the oil company’s rival for sponsoring false and damaging articles.

The CSOs made up of activist-lawyers, civil society organisations and the Council of Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria (CEYLN) insisted that allegations in the report against the oil company, Aiteo and its founder, Benedict Peters, have already been conclusively determined by competent courts or are pending in court.

Speaking on behalf of the CSOs, Tochukwu Ohazuruike, stressed  that the purpose of the publication could only be to dent the integrity of Mr Benedict Peters and the company.

They alleged that the promoters of the campaign plan to engage a Washington Post Staff Writer, one Peter Whoriskey, who has already begun making enquiries to this end.

They noted that Whoriskey, who focuses on investigations of economic and financial issues, has not been found to do any work in or on Nigeria, adding that there are no known published works of his that dwell on Nigeria, her politics, business or culture.

“There is a plethora of questions which The Washington Post rather has to answer and which directly calls to question its genuineness in permitting this to happen. It will be damning to the long-held image of The Washington Post that its staff has yielded the platform of the medium to the use for a global smear campaign and unhealthy business rivalry.

“Out of the five questions Mr Whoriskey inquired about, question 1 has been resolved by a competent court of law in Nigeria and the decision widely publicised. A simple internet search would have availed Mr Whoriskey of the judgment of the case and the present state of affairs.

“Further, questions 2-5 were directly extracted from untested allegations contained in a first amended verified complaint filed before the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.”