Ogun SSG Breaks Silence, Reacts To Fraud Allegations

The Secretary to Ogun State Government, Tokunbo Talabi has reacted over alleged fraud allegations levelled against him..

This medium recalls that the PUNCH had earlier reported that the Department of State Services grilled Talabi for five hours on Friday over fraud allegations.

Reacting to the allegations via a sent to the Editor of Punch Newspaper and signed by Adegoke Oyebade, the Information Officer from the office of the SSG, he described the report as an unethical and barbaric.

According to the statement, “Our attention has been drawn to an unethical report by Mr. Daud Olatunji and published in The Punch of Saturday, August 4, 2023 titled DSS grills Ogun SSG over ballot paper printing, COVID-19 fund. The highly misleading report whose author is notorious for unethical journalism, has left us, like many other avid readers of your publications wandering, if this is The Punch that we used to know.

“Superflux Nigeria Limited, a security printing company, where Mr Talabi once held sway as Director had earlier issued a statement, which was widely used in both the print media and various online platforms, describing as barbaric and spurious, allegations that the company was contracted to print ballots papers by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) as well as money laundering, and in the process linked the SSG to the frivolous allegations.

“The company in the said statement also frowned at being tagged as conduit for money laundering, siphoning COVID19 funds, saying such allegations are clearly handiworks of mischief makers and traducers who were hell bent to tarnish the reputation of the company before it’s numerous customers and that of it’s former Director, who is presently the Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Mr Tokunbo Talabi.

“It was against this backdrop that Mr Talabi petitioned the DSS and subsequently visited the service to defend his petition and provide more clarification.

“It is then worrisome and shocking the way the report projected a petitioner as an accused person, as the reporter knew that it was the SSG who actually submitted a petition to the security agency asking for investigation of the baseless, evil and politically motivated allegations against him by faceless people. His visit to DSS office to speak to his petition did not last more than 40 minutes.

“Why your reporter has chosen to mislead his editors with the report full of contradictions may not be unconnected with the information among the correspondents circle that he has been promised the slot of Chief Press Secretary by political opponents who are obviously day dreaming of unseating the present Administration in the state.

“We are aware that last year, The Punch, unusually, was forced to do a retraction based on the complaint of the Ogun State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) against a report filed by this same unethical journalist. We are also aware that, on another incident, the management of The Punch placed the same reporter on suspension for weeks.

“It now seems he has damned the management and ready to go for the broke since he has assurance of employment and regular compensation by his political sponsors.

“Sir, we urge you to investigate yet another sub-standard report by Mr. Olatunji and take corrective steps to save the reputation your newspaper organisation has made over the decades; probably when Olatunji has not entered elementary school.”