From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has described as fake news, report that Minister of Communications, Isa Pantami, was on the terror watch-list of the United States government according to a daily newspaper, not Daily Sun.
Personal Assistant to President on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, via is verified Twitter handled, @BashirAhmaad, while reacting to the retraction of the report by NewsWireNGR said: “You have just endorsed a fake report without verifying. As a media outlet @NewsWireNGR you know exactly how to verify such reports, but no, you are here pushing a false and dangerous narrative to your thousands of followers.
“FYI @DrIsaPantami has never been on any US watchlist.”
The news medium had in its report said Pantami who allegedly was a close confidant of the late Mohammed Yusuf, the late leader of Boko Haram, was on the watch list of the US.
The report had also claimed that Pantami had ties with Abu Quata-da al Falasimi and other Al-Qaeda leaders whom he revered and spoke highly of.
Earlier, the minister while also reacting to the traction threatened to go to court, advising the news outlet to get objective translator in future to avoid running into trouble while translating Hausa.
Pantami said: “@NewsWireNGR your RETRACTION through your independent investigation, has been noted.
“However, investigative journalism requires the investigation before publishing, not after.
“Further, major publishers will meet my lawyers in the court on this defamation of character.
“My lectures against the doctrines and all other evil people have been available for over 15 years, including debates that endangered my life against many criminals in Nigeria. If you can’t understand Hausa, get an objective Hausa speaker to translate for you objectively.”