A group, Advocacy For Advancement of Peace and Harmony In Africa Initiative has insisted that the founder of Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Fisayo Soyombo must retract his allegations against Ogun businessman, Chief Ibrahim Egungbohun.
The investigative reporter had in a report in February accused Egungbohun, popularly known as IBD Dende of running a smuggling syndicate and gun running.
Subsequent upon the report, Dende has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, demanding an investigation into the report, describing it as malicious.
But the group, during a press conference in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital insisted that Soyombo must retract the statement, describing the hotelier as smuggler and gunrunner or get a court invitation.
The group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Sulaimon Suberu, described the allegation as defamation of character and lacking substantive evidence.
The group also described the allegation as a fabricated lie to smear Ibrahim Egungbohun’s personality for political and pecuniary gains.
The group said “By our experience and records of engagement for many years, we found Chief Egungbohun, alias IBD Dende to be a harbinger of culture and the rich tradition of his people with rare sense of patriotism who does his legitimate business as a Border Community Stakeholder and a Licensed Freight Clearing and Forwarder with utmost integrity.
“Unless Fisayo comes out with tangible evidence, we have no option than to believe that his works were fabricated lies by its proponents to smear Chief Ibrahim Egungbohun’s (IBD Dende) personality for political and pecuniary gains.
“Meanwhile, contrary to the report published by Fisayo Soyonbo of Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) which practically predicated on vague evidence of questionable sources that were out of contest, we make bold to say that Chief IBD Dende was never arrested for Gun running,” it added.
The group however challenged Fisayo and FIJ to substantiate the allegation by publishing other traceable evidence, linkable to IBD Dende.
The group also appealed to Fisayo Soyombo to tell Nigerians the evidence of Egungbohun’s arrest at any time.