Bribe: Kano panel to review video in Ganduje’s presence

* Clips authentic, not doctored, publisher tells
c’ttee

The publisher and editor-in-chief of the online newspaper, Daily
Nigerian, Jaafar Jaafar, yesterday restated that the video clips
published by medium purporting to show Kano State Governor
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje were genuine and not doctored.

Jaafar spoke when he appeared before the seven-man panel of the
Kano State House of Assembly investigating the veracity of the
clips.

He said he followed some processes of confirming the
authenticity of the videos before releasing them to the public.

“First, I invited an expert from the Amnesty International who
has verified the video and confirmed that it is genuine. I also
invited an editorial expert who verified the clips and confirmed to
me they are genuine. So, my videos are authentic, accurate and
un-tampered.

“Contrary to speculations, this issue has nothing to do with
politics. I still stand by my stories and the video clips. I hope
the committee will do justice to all the parties involved in the
matter,” he said

Asked about the date he received the videos, Jaafar said “I only
got 15 different video clips on September 14, 2018, but I watched
them much earlier before then. The clips were given to me by a
whistle blower who I will not expose going by the ethics of our
profession. Nine of the clips showed the face of the governor,
while six did not show his face.”

He tendered his written statement and video clips to the
committee for scrutiny.

Responding to a question regarding the identity of the whistle
blower, Jaafar said he would consult his lawyers to discuss within
the context of the law whether the whistle-blower could appear
before the committee to shed more light on the clips.

Jaafar said he did not contact any government official for
comment before publishing the videos which went viral on the social
media.

He said: “Even before I released the clips, the Kano State
government had issued a statement describing it as a cloned
video.”

Jafar expressed satisfaction with the security arrangement
during the hearing session, saying, “I was given adequate
protection. Three assistant commissioners of police were deployed
to Malam Aminu Kano International Airport to ensure my safety. I am
confident that I am protected.”

Jaafar’s lawyer, Isaac Ambule, requested the committee to
relocate the sitting to a neutral ground, saying “When we came from
the airport, I saw a huge crowd of young men outside the
secretariat and I am scared.”

But the chairman of the committee, Baffa Babba Danagundi
rejected the request on the ground that the sitting was made public
so that the parties involved and the general public could testify
that the hearing was handled with fairness, justice and
transparency.

Danagundi assured Jaafar, Daily Nigerian and his lawyer of
justice, saying “We will view the clips in the presence of Jaafar,
his lawyer and experts, Governor Ganduje, his lawyers and experts.
We will also allow Jaafar to bring his expert to review the video
in the presence of every party.

“Likewise, the governor will be allowed to bring his expert to
review the videos and in the end, the committee will bring an
independent expert to also review the clips before it will make its
report.”

The Kano State Attorney General, Ibrahim Mukhtar, who was at the
sitting, promised to ensure that justice is done to the public,
Jaafar, and the governor.

Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers,
Kano State branch, Huwaila Muhammad Ibrahim, commended security
agencies for providing adequate security to the publisher at the
venue of the sitting, saying “security-wise, I can give security
100 percent pass mark because there are no lapses in their
arrangements.

“For the conduct of the sitting, I was equally delighted with
the way the house handled the matter. The committee is being guided
by the constitution and laws of the house. The committee did not go
beyond its limit and if it continues like that, I am sure the
committee will come up with authentic results at the end of its
investigation.

“We will continue to follow the matter to its logical conclusion
to ensure that justice is done to everyone.”