, has cautioned Nigerians to be vigilant against individuals who pose as journalists){kind=link}
A socio-political group, the One Nigeria Movement (ONM), has cautioned Nigerians to be vigilant against individuals who pose as journalists but engage in blackmail.
The ONM specifically called out Jackson Ude, a self-proclaimed investigative journalist.
Ude was described as an impersonator and warning that such individuals should be prevented from extorting unsuspecting members of the public.
In a statement released Thursday in Abuja, signed by Convener General Ahmed Sodiq-Mugoro and Secretary Babatunde Aliyu, the group disputed Ude’s claims.
Ude had claimed holding positions under former President Goodluck Jonathan, such as Special Assistant on Media or Director of Strategy and Communication.
ONM challenged Ude to produce an official appointment letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to substantiate his claims.
The group suggested that such assertions were false and misleading.
The group argued that Ude’s activities had cast doubts on his credibility, labelling him and others involved in similar actions as fraudsters.
According to ONM, there were only three officials in the Public Affairs Department during President Jonathan’s tenure.
Which included Dr. Doyin Okupe, Dr Olusanya Awosan, and Mallam Nasir Zaharaden—all of whom held formal, documented roles.
Ude, ONM alleged, had no such role and had only been briefly engaged through his online platform, Pointblanknews, on recommendation from then-minister Femi Fani-Kayode.
ONM further detailed that shortly after Pointblanknews began working with Jonathan’s administration, Ude allegedly began misusing his position.
He did so by blackmailing senior officials, including former Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
His alleged activities ultimately led to his removal from any association with the administration.
The group questioned Ude’s continued claims of serving as a presidential aide, likening his role to that of reporters covering the State House and challenging his self-identification as a former aide.
Additionally, ONM highlighted Ude’s history of blackmail, including a legal case filed by Okonjo-Iweala, where Ude was accused of spreading false information about her to demand financial benefits.
In 2012, Ude’s platform, Pointblanknews, published an article falsely claiming that Okonjo-Iweala had bought a mansion in Abuja for N1.2 billion and had benefited improperly from a debt buy-back deal.
The article, which Okonjo-Iweala later proved to be baseless, led her to sue Ude and Pointblanknews for libel.
After six years in court, a Federal Capital Territory High Court ordered Ude and his partner Churchill Umoren to pay Okonjo-Iweala N200 million in damages and barred them from further defaming her.
ONM concluded by urging Nigerians to carefully evaluate the backgrounds of individuals claiming to be journalists or activists, especially those with histories of dubious claims and legal judgments against them.