Jaafar Jaafar, publisher of Daily
Nigerian newspaper, has insisted that the videos which showed Abdullahi
Ganduje, governor of Kano state, receiving bribe are authentic.
Speaking when he appeared before
a Kano house of assembly investigative panel on Thursday, Jaafar said the
videos were not doctored.
Daily Nigerian had published
multiple videos showing Ganduje allegedly receiving kickbacks from contractors
on various occasions.
But the governor denied the
allegations, saying it was the handwork of political opponents.
The Kano assembly subsequently
set up a committee to investigate the allegations.
At the committee’s sitting on
Thursday, Jaafar said the videos were confirmed to be authentic by various
experts.
He also told of how a contractor
had informed him of the governor’s practice of “receiving kickbacks” from every
contractor in the state.
“More than two years ago, a
contractor friend of mine complained to me that the governor had been receiving
kickbacks, ranging from 15 to 25 percent, for every project executed in the
state from contractors,” the publisher said.
“We then agreed to plant spy
cameras on his kaftan lapel so that he can capture the brazen act in hard
evidence. He captured at least 15 clips, nine of which fully showed the
governor’s face, body and hands collecting bundles of dollars.
“Before DAILY NIGERIAN publishes
stories, pictures or videos on its website (www.dailynigerian.com), the editors
subject them to rigors of verification to establish their authenticity or
otherwise.
“In the case the video clips in
question, our in-house technical expert, the editor-in-chief and editorial
adviser certified that the videos were original and not doctored contents.
“Experts from Amnesty
International Nigeria, BBC … also watched the clips and certified their
authenticity before we went to press.”
He said the first video,
published on October 14, 2018 from different occasions, showed the governor
“receiving bribe from a contractor in foreign currency specifically the monies
were United States dollar denominated.”
“The video also showed his
Excellency tucking these monies under his flowing gown and putting them inside
an envelope,” he added.
“We are willing to share the
content of the video without any form of editing to assist the committee in its
investigation and to share the full clips of the others that were published to
the committee in the cause of the performance of their legislative function.”
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