The presidency has reportedly written the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) asking for a probe of a bishop who allegedly peddled the death rumour of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The petition was said to have been written by the special assistant to the president on prosecution, Okoi Obono-Obla, and addressed to the director general of the DSS, Yusuf Bichi, and the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, as reported by The Punch.
The letter mentioned the name of the bishop as Eze Orieke, adding that he made the false claim with purported documents from the London Bridge Hospital (Regional Medical Laboratory) on the wall of a Facebook group called Ohafia Political Forum.
“The said documents are attached herewith for your attention and consideration.
“It is a notorious fact and incontrovertible proof that his excellency, Muhammadu Buhari is not dead but very much alive and kicking,” Obono-Obla said in the letter while adding that the documents are “are fake and calculated to cause panic, disaffection and undermine national security.”
The report said copies of the documents, allegedly attached to the Facebook post and forwarded by Obono-Obla included a supposed death certificate issued by the National Population Commission (NPC) indicating that the president died of cardiac arrest in Abuja on September 19, 2017.
“It is ill-motivated, distasteful and made in extreme bad faith,” Obono-Obla said as he argues that this is in violation of the provisions of section 24(1)(a),(b) and (2)(a),(b),(c)(i),(ii) of the cybercrime (prohibition and prevention etc) act, 2015. “In the light of the above, I respectfully urge you to investigate this matter,” Obono-Obla said.
