Insiders have revealed that Samuel Ogundipe, the editor of Nigerian website, Peoples Gazette, is now on the run after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) launched an investigation into his alleged attempt to blackmail the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, into paying him $300,000.

Newsdiaryonline gathered that about five months ago, Ogundipe had contacted Onyema to say his paper was working on a stinker on him. He, however, offered to drop the story if paid $300,000.

Our sources said for days, Mr Onyema tried to convince Ogundipe that the allegations being packaged against him by Peoples Gazette were false and only calculated to tarnish his reputation.

When the editor refused to back down, according to those familiar with the matter, the Air Peace chairman alerted the EFCC and the Department of State Services (DSS) on the plot to blackmail and extort from him by Ogundipe.

The EFCC and the DSS then set up a joint sting operation on the matter, our sources said. They asked Onyema to play along while the two agencies continued to monitor and record the communications between the Peoples Gazette Editor and the Air Peace chairman.

While playing along, Mr Onyema offered to pay Ogundipe $150,000 in three installments. After some back and forth, the journalist agreed.

Those familiar with the matter said the Air Peace chairman then requested Ogundipe to provide an account number to which the money could be paid but the journalist insisted that he would only accept the payment in cash.
Onyema continued to play along in line with the script given to him by the law enforcement agencies involved in the operation. He invited Ogundipe to his office in Lagos to collect the first installment of $50,000.

The journalist, however, said he was away in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, at the time but that he would send a representative to collect the money on his behalf.

She was immediately arrested and driven to the Lagos office of the EFCC where she was interrogated and detained for one week.

The suspect, law enforcement sources said, told detectives that she did not know that the money Ogundipe sent her to collect was a proceed of blackmail.

The EFCC held on to the suspect for days and invited Ogundipe to show up for questioning. The journalist has since gone underground and has so far refused to return to Nigeria from Dubai.

Meanwhile, a further screening of the suspect’s telephone revealed information that further implicated the Peoples Gazette editor, our sources said.

Ogundipe was a reporter with Premium Times until mid 2020 when left after the medium accused him of unethical conduct.

Nonpartisan1:


I remain apolitical.

TarOrfeeek:


They want to tarnish the reputation of PG because they have been revealing some hidden things back to back.

This is a lie.

Allen Onyeama does not even have any information against him that would be worth 300,000 USD.

If you people had used Abba Kyari it would have been more believable.

Nonpartisan1:
Everybody knows that Ogundipe is a fraudster except the IPOB Terrorists ( because he spreads falsehoods against APC/Buhari).

Now that Alex Onyema, the American wanted criminal is involved, lets see how the children of hate are going to handle it. Support the criminal Onyema, or the afonja fraudster.

Oya, lets hear from urine drinkers forming terrorists.

I remain apolitical.

FarahAideed:
Hmmm I doubt Ogundipe will fall for such silly trap ..he knows better than to ask anyone for hush money

AntiBMC:
All these witch-hunting because people's gazette has been exposing them like Sahara reporters.

As usual, a petty, vindictive and totally childish/fo0lish Fulani govt.

If cluelessness and stvpidity were an administration...it would be ds one.

seborrhic:
Someone actually believes Ogundipe would be that foolish to demand $300k~₦150million from Mr Onyeama.
It's ridiculous published stories like this that enable some of these dead blogs to still be online.
That anyone would believe such kindergarten concocted stuff is part of why we find ourselves in this mess as a nation.

seborrhic:
Someone actually believes Ogundipe would be that foolish to demand $300k~₦150million from Mr Onyeama.
It's ridiculous published stories like this that enable some of these dead blogs to still be online.
That anyone would believe such kindergarten concocted stuff is part of why we find ourselves in this mess as a nation.

adamsmith914:
So I guess Allen Onyeama is lying?

ivolt:

You are right.
But you would have believed the "concocted stuff" without questions if the suspect is your political enemy.
After all, many of gazzetes story which you believe follows exactly this format.
This one is even better as it include real people's name not anonymous sources.

RuggedBiafran:
Shameless AFONJA NEWSPAPER IMBECILEEES....that is how "Punch Newspapers" Removed a "News piece" where Tinubu made scathing statements about the ZOO!!...When Nigerians "highlighted" the newsfeed...sharp/sharp PUNCH newspaper removed the piece fiam!!

AFONJANESTERN miscreants both Young and OLD are highly despicable...spits

IgweOfNnewi:
Hehehehehe

RuggedBiafran:
WHEN THIS GIVES ME HOPE ALMAJIRI CAN GO TO HELL...SPITS!!

Bring something "NEW" to the forum these pictures are stale and OLD like Buhari...

Almajiri..tell me that this picture doesn't make you MAD....collect your portion of the SPIT...SPITS!!

IgweOfNnewi:
Better find something worthwhile doing, this your hope is rotten with that coward that facilitated the death of 3 million Igbos, the husband of FFK leftover, dim ojukwu

Afamed:
People Gazette has always been a promoter of fake news.
To PG, either you bribe / induce them, or they formulate a Nollywood stories to discredit your images