A letter supposedly written by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode from the detention centre of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is a hoax.
A statement signed by Mr. Jude Ndukwe, a media aide to the former minister of aviation and delivered to The Trent on Thursday, June 30, 2016 confirms that the “letter from prison” which has gone viral was not written by Fani-Kayode. Ndukwe describes the message in the letter as “part of a long and systematic plot by mischief makers”.
“This is to inform the general public that the purported message making the rounds that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode wrote a certain message to Christians and Apostle Suleiman from detention is not true,” the statement said.
“That message was part of a long and systematic plot by mischief makers, his traducers and detractors to continue to discredit and malign his person and character, and cause disaffection among his friends, associates and supporters.
“We therefore urge members of the public to disregard that message and treat it as non-existent,” the statement said.
The hoax was sent to The Trent on Sunday evening. Immediately, our editors knew it was not authored by Chief Fani-Kayode, who is a columnist with our newspaper.
Fani-Kayode is currently facing trial for alleged corruption for receiving campaign funds as director of media and publicity for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation of 2015. The EFCC arrested him on May 9, 2016 and kept him detention unconstitutionally for 50 days before charging him to court.
During his stay in the EFCC detention facility in Lagos, Fani-Kayode was attacked and his life threatened by an extremist EFCC operative by name Sulaimon Kabiru, who sought to stop him from reading his Holy Bible. This worrisome attack occurred on Saturday evening. The EFCC responded to our news report by quickly charging him to court on Monday.
The fake letter from prison made reference to this attack and sent a warning to Apostle Suleman Johnson of Omega Fire Ministries in Auchi, Edo State. It was said to have been scribbled on a piece of paper by Fani-Kayode and handed to an EFCC operative who is a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God with instructions to “take this to my secretary”.
