Kassim Afegbua, the media aide to former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has instructed his lawyer, Kayode Ajulo to withdraw the claims he filed in a case against Channels TV and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
Afegbua who was declared wanted by the police, had instituted a N1 billion suit against the inspector general of police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, the Nigeria Police Force, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Jimoh Moshood, NTA and Channels Television for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights.
Speaking in Abuja after visiting the Force Headquarters, Abuja, in connection with the IGP’s order for his arrest, Afegbua said he sued the police, Channels TV and NTA for N1bn for infringing on his rights and defaming him.
However, he was non-committal about withdrawing the case against the police saying: “This is about counsel/client communication. We would return to my office and appraise the situation and the needful shall be done.”
Before his meeting with the police authorities at Louis Edet House on Wednesday, Afegbua who was accompanied by his wife and Ajulo said Babangida phoned him to express surprise at why the police declared him (Afegbua) wanted.
“It would even interest you that when I was declared wanted on Channels TV and NTA, he (IBB) was the one who called me and said, why are they declaring you wanted, are you a criminal?
“We laughed over it. He said ‘are you on the run; have they given you an invitation?’ I said no. He said that was interesting. Who is complaining? He said he read in the news that I was wanted for defamation of character, he said whose character have you defamed?’
“I am very much in touch with him; I am not doing anything out of the blues. This is a man I have been with for the past 14 years. I am only here (Force Headquarters) because I was declared wanted, I’m not a fugitive,” he said.
He added: “As a responsible Nigerian, I feel it is unwise on the part of the police to declare me wanted when I have not been formally invited, so I am here to present myself.”
On his meeting with the police high command, he said the police authorities apologised for declaring him wanted and attributed the development to they described as “miscommunication.”
“I wasn’t under arrest; the police said there was a miscommunication. I went to the office of the deputy commissioner of police, legal and interacted with the IG Monitoring Unit. They apologised to me and said I wasn’t under arrest; I spent about two hours and left.”
It would be recalled that the police authorities declared Afegbua wanted in the wake of two statements issued by Babangida highlight the ills bedeviling the nation.
