Malik Yahya/
A media foundation, People Journalism Prize for Africa (PJPA) has offered to offset the legal fees of Premium Times reporter, Samuel Ogundipe, after Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s 32-year-old son, Bello, threatened to drag him to court.
The junior El-Rufai was angered by a story written by Ogundipe in the online medium which reported him to have threatened to gang rape the mother and grandmother of a Twitter user who referred to him as “Daddy’s boy”.
According to Premium Times’ report, a confrontation had ensued between Bello and a Twitter user, @thanos_zer, who criticised a tweet posted by the former on Saturday night as hypocritical.
Bello had tweeted, “There is nothing as radioactive as an incompetent leader during a time of crisis. The United States of America is a case in point. A few states in Nigeria too.”
This had prompted @thanos_zer to respond, “What about the absentee President in Nigeria?”
In response, Bello said he was sure that @thanos_zer would be from the South-east and his state governor would be grossly incompetent.
Again, @thanos_zer reportedly responded, saying: “I don’t shield anyone who’s inept. I can’t say the same about you. You’re daddy’s boy and of course nobody attacks the finger that feeds them. Buhari’s ineptitude is mind-blowing. Yes I said it and you’re not going to make me disappear!”
Subsequently, Mr El-Rufai reportedly rained a barrage of insults at his detractor.
In one tweet before 11:00 a.m. Sunday, he posted sexual innuendos against @thanos_zer’s mother, saying he was aware of her “mind blowing” sexual capabilities, Premium Times reported.
In another tweet, Bello reportedly said, “Tell your mother I’m passing her to my friends tonight,” before adding an ethnic diatribe: “No Igbo sounds please!”
The medium also published a screenshot of two of the private messages Bello sent to his supposed detractor:
In his reaction to the Premium Times’ story today via @B_ELRUFAI, Bello tweeted “Oh @SamuelOgundipe, our hired PDP columnist, you in particular were the last piece of the puzzle. I assure you that my lawyers will get to you to prove the usage/threat of rape. The onus is on you. I eagerly anticipate the #FreeSamuel hashtag. Thanks for completing the jigsaw.
While reacting to Bello’s threat of litigation against Ogundipe, PJPA tweeted, “Hi @SamuelOgundipe. We have noticed that you have been recently threatened over a story. If you ever need support for your legal defence, please get in touch with us. @GatefieldImpact
Meanwhile, Bello’s mother, Hadiza El-Rufai, has apologised over her initial tweet in support of his son’s outburst.
She said at the time she made her initial tweet, she had not yet read the full exchanges between his son and his Twitter opponent.
In her earlier reaction, Mrs El-Rufai had tweeted, “All you people talking about @B_ELRUFAI. Don’t @ me. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. All is fair in love and war.
“My belief: Respect everyone, but take no shit from anyone. I didn’t see any threats of rape. I would never condone that.”
But she later tweeted, “When I posted the tweet below, I assumed it was just the usual Twitter gbas-gbos. Having read the tweets chronologically, I have had conversations with Bello. Never ever should sexual abuse be employed as ammunition in public/ private exchanges, no matter the provocation.”
She later tweeted another apology: