Freelance investigative journalist, David Hudeyin, has accused Nigeria’s foremost cereal maker, NASCO Group, of telling lies after it debunked an initial report accusing it of financing terrorism in the north.
WuzupNigeria reported that Hudenyin indicted NASCO’s late boss, Ahmed Idris Nasreddin and a handful of other notable northerners, in a report that alleged that they’re funding Boko Haram and other insurgent groups wreaking havoc in the country.
In response to Hudenyin’s initial report, NASCO denied the allegations, claiming that Nasredding was “totally exonerated” as well as “his business interest of all false allegations” after a supposed “detailed examination by the United Nations Security Council and the US Government.”
The group added that “It was clearly established that NASCO was never at any time associated with the sponsorship of terrorism directly or indirectly anywhere in the world (References United Nations Security Council Resolution SC 9172 dated 15 November 2007 & United Nations Security Council Resolution S/2008/25 dated 17 January 2008).”
However, in a reaction via his Twitter handle, Hudenyin discredited NASCO’s response, describing it as non-factual.
“I’m rubbing my hands already because I will enjoy taking this apart inside 10 minutes flat,” he began in a thread posted to the viewing of his 144.8 thousand followers.
He also challenged the cornflakes maker’s claim that Nasreddin and his business were totally exonerated of all false allegations by the UNSC Resolution SC/9172 dated 15/11/2007 with the initial UN article.
According to Hudenyi, the UN resolution only proves that Nasreddin “has been removed from the list because the US has removed him from its list (which is what the article said),” and not “exonerated” as NASCO claimed.
“Now this is where the real wahala is,” he continued pointing towards NASCO’s claims that “At no time were the assets of NASCO Group Nigeria and/or any of its subsidiaries…ever seized nor their accounts frozen due to any of these infractions.”
Hundeyin posted the copy of “a letter from the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations addressed to the Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, Amb. Aminu B. Wali” which suggests that NASCO’s assets were frozen.
“Look at this excerpt from pages 5-6 (below). So please, who is lying here?” he questioned.
“I put it to you that you are telling lies. I am saying this on record. If this is not the case, I challenge you to sue. I expected this weak response to include even a legal threat. So here am I “the individual,” hereby challenging you to go to court,” Hudeyin concluded.
WuzupNigeria reported that since Hudeyin’s counter post on October 5th, there has been no further response from NASCO as regards the pieces of evidence uploaded by the journalist.
Meanwhile, since the publication of the first article indicting NASCO, the Federal Government is yet to make a comment regarding the allegations.
