Chief Julius Bokoru, Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has questioned the pattern of media reports linking his principal to an alleged coup plot.
In a statement issued on Friday, Bokoru said some reports on the allegations appeared to have gone beyond investigative journalism and were instead reinforcing what he described as a particular narrative against Sylva.
Bokoru said he had not been able to establish contact with Sylva since the controversy began, but stressed that his comments were not intended to undermine investigative journalism.
He acknowledged the role of the Nigerian media in holding governments, institutions and influential individuals accountable, describing journalism as an important pillar of public accountability.
However, he urged journalists and media organisations reporting the allegations to scrutinise the sources and methods through which information was obtained before publishing their reports.
According to Bokoru, the allegations had been repeatedly “serialised, repackaged and amplified” in a manner that increasingly created the impression of a deliberate campaign to shape public opinion against Sylva.
He questioned the source and timing of materials reportedly being used in some of the reports.
“Where are these materials coming from? Who is supplying them? Why are sensitive investigative documents appearing in carefully sequenced instalments?” he asked.
Bokoru also questioned why successive reports appeared to point towards the same conclusion about Sylva despite the allegations not having been established in court.
He, however, said he was not accusing any media organisation of being sponsored by an individual or organisation, noting that he had no evidence to support such a claim.
“I will say plainly that the pattern of this coverage increasingly raises the uncomfortable question of whether some organisations are pursuing their own stories or, knowingly or otherwise, acting from someone else’s script,” he said.
Bokoru further cautioned against presenting allegations contained in investigative materials as established facts, stressing that guilt could only be determined through due process of law.
“There is also a fundamental distinction that should never be blurred: an allegation is not evidence; an investigator’s theory is not a conviction; and a statement contained in an investigative file is not a judicial finding of guilt,” he said.
He urged media organisations covering the matter to allow any evidence against Sylva to be properly tested.
Bokoru added that if the authorities believed there was a prosecutable case against the former minister, the appropriate agencies should present it before a competent court for determination.
