Information available to 247ureports.com indicates that a campaign of calumny within the leadership hierarchy is some quarters of the nation may have been launched directly targeting the family of Bala Mohammed through his son, Abdullahi Mohammed.

According to the information received, the national custom service through a consortium of online mediums had made publications indicating that the Nigerian Customs service had arrested the son of the former minister over the underpayment of a custom’s duty on a vehicle. The online publications accredited the statement to the spokesperson for the custom’s anti-smuggling outfit in Lagos, Uche Ejesieme. The gist of the publication went on to add that Abdullahi Bala purchased the said vehicle for N850million and owed N123.7million on duty payment.

However in talking to the spokesperson of the Customs service, he was quick to debunk the report of Bala Mohammed’s son’s arrest. He was emphatic in stating that the Customs had not identified and/or indicated that the son of a former minister was arrested. “Whoever says that we arrested Bala Mohammed son should provide us with the evidence that we arrested such a person” said the spokesperson who went on to clarify that the Customs service is not in business of witch-hunting, neither are they a political organization. “We are only concerned with custom matters, at no time did we tell anyone that the son of a former minister was arrested by us”. The spokesperson credited to the publishers of such news as mischief makers.

The said erroneous report – as it was initially published on Saturday January 30, 2016 by an online medium – was widely syndicated to fifteen [15] other online mediums who then copied the report verbatim.

The Customs service is expected to clarify the matter on Monday.

Stay tuned