Sabina Ezeoku apologizes for defamation, false claim about EFCC raid on Bello el-Rufai’s residence

December 11, 2024

By Samuel Ogunsona

Sabiina Ezeoku, a legal practitioner, has issued a formal apology to Bello el-Rufai, the son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, for falsely claiming that his residence was raided by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

On December 5, Ezeoku took to her X account to share the false information, stating that EFCC operatives had busted Bello’s home in Kaduna and discovered “$800 million, N700 billion cash, and N1 trillion worth of drugs” during the raid.

However, Bello swiftly debunked the claim, labeling it “fake news” and warning that legal action would be taken against those peddling the false information.

In a letter to Bello on Tuesday, Ezeoku admitted that she had “since discovered that the statement is completely false”. She claimed that she did not verify the story’s veracity before sharing it.

“I hereby retract the post I made on X (formerly Twitter) on 5th December 2024, where I shared that a raid was conducted in the house of Nasir El-Rufai’s son by the EFFC, and $800 million, N700 billion cash, and N1 trillion worth of drugs were discovered,” the letter reads.

“I hereby wholeheartedly apologize for the said post. I did not verify the veracity or truthfulness of the statement before posting, and all attempts thereafter to verify it proved abortive.”

Ezeoku continued, “I have since discovered that the statement is completely false. Please accept this letter as a retraction of my said post and an expression of my sincere apology.”

She concluded, “I never intended to offend or embarrass you, your family, or the Federal House of Representatives, or harm your reputation.”