A legal practitioner, Wahab Shittu has denied social media reports insinuating that he was disappointed in the anti-corruption crusade of the Federal Government for withdrawing the charges against Gombe state ex-governor Danjuma Goje.
He therefore challenged any journalist to provide evidence that the criticisms against Buhari administration emanated from him.
Shittu, a prosecuting counsel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a statement on Friday warned that the falsehood must stop.
The Media had reported Shittu as allegedly expressing disappointment with the way government withdrew the charges against Goje, despite sacrificing his life for eight years.
“Honestly, this is very sad and a major setback for the Anti-corruption war of this administration. I’m awfully disappointed and pissed off. For eight years, l risked my life travelling to and from Lagos to Gombe and Jos prosecuting the case for the Federal Government.
“I called about 25 witnesses and tendered well over 150 exhibits admitted in the proceedings. The court ruled the defendants have a case to answer on two of the counts and the stage was set for their defence.
“Suddenly the AG (Attorney-General) took over the case from the prosecution/EFCC. l dutifully handed over the files with detailed handover notes to assist the AGF. And now this, the state withdrew the charges, eight years of trial time wasted. Sad. Very sad. Such is the colour of integrity under Buhari’s watch, and such is the fight against corruption,” Shittu was allegedly quoted to have said.
But in a statement made available to Newsdiaryonline, he described the comments ascribed to him as fake news.
“My Reaction. I never spoke to any journalist on this subject as erroneously reported and widely circulated on the social media. I challenge any journalist who alleges the contrary for proof.
“Any signed statement from me? Any recorded interview or any proof of having granted such interview as credited to me? None whatsoever. Ever since l handed over to the AGF, l have maintained a dignified silence on the matter. If l have concerns, l will speak up.
“The news is definitely fake News.l do not think it is fair to unfairly utilize my name to malign the name of the government or rubbish the anti-corruption agenda of this administration. Since my attention was drawn to the fake news, l have issued a disclaimer on major WhatsApp platforms but it appears the fake news is still trending. This falsehood must stop please,” he stated.
