The Federal High Court has debunked a report claiming Justice James Omotosho survived an assassination attempt after he handed the life sentence on the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu as “fake news”.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, a blogger had reported on his Facebook page that Justice Omotosho survived an assassination attempt on Saturday morning, days after handing down the life sentence to Kanu.
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The blogger claimed that Justice Omotosho was immediately rushed to a hospital as security forces scrambled to secure the area.
Reacting to the claim, the Chief Registrar of FHC, Sulaiman Hassan, in a statement on Sunday morning, said the report was untrue, tagging it “Rebuttal to False Publication by ‘Celebrity Blogger’.
“The attention of the Federal High Court has been drawn to a publication by CELEBRITY BLOGGER, alleging that the Honourable Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, survived an assassination attempt following the life sentence imposed on Nnamdi Kanu.
“We hereby firmly and unequivocally declare that the said report is completely false and unfounded. The public is advised to treat this publication as fake news and refrain from further dissemination to prevent the spread of misinformation,” Hassan wrote.
Hassan, urged relevant security agencies to launch a probe into the report with a view to arresting and prosecuting the culprits in line with the laws.
“Given the gravity of the report, which has the potential to cause panic and undermine confidence in the judicial system, possibly intended as a form of intimidation, we call on the relevant security agencies and regulatory authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
“The goal is to identify and apprehend the perpetrators responsible for this false report and prosecute them in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly those relating to cybercrime, defamation, and public misinformation,” Hassan added.