Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
An ex-aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri has reacted to social media reports that he is diverting funds meant for the family of the adopted Dapchi School girl, Leah Sharibu for personal use.
He said those accusing him were agents of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government who are not happy he is championing the #LeahSharibu movement and raising money for the family.
In a statement made available to the media yesterday, he noted that his accusers initially said he received grants from foreign agencies and non-governmental organisations, but that they have now changed their story that he was visiting churches to preach and collect money for #FreeLeahSharibu.
“This new lie is as easily dismissed as their first lie. I have not preached in any church in the last three years, nor sold books at any church. I have never collected even a penny from any church for #FreeLeahSharibu or any other activity, and I challenge these liars to show evidence that I did. I have close to a million followers on Twitter alone and hundreds of thousands more on Facebook and Instagram and I have advertised on those media for any church that has given me even one penny to please speak up. I am still waiting. Perhaps their imagined churches or NGOs are in Mars.
“I was informed by a pastor in a very prominent ministry that my crime against the Buhari government is that Leah Sharibu’s mother visited the United States to appeal for #FreeLeahSharibu and that I also sponsored free #BusesForDemocracy to enable Nigerians vote in the 2019 elections,” he said.
He explained that his accusers took the decision to discredit him by all means because they felt embarrassed by the wide media coverage that Leah’s mother, Rebecca Sharibu got in America, adding that their plan was to ensure he abandoned the movement.
Omokri said that was the reason Buhari’s government activated its agents to launch a coordinated attack against him and the #FreeLeahSharibu movement he founded.
He said: “If, as they claim, I enriched myself via #FreeLeahSharibu, let the Scripture “Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.”-Proverbs 17:13” be my portion.
“My personal message to General Buhari is this: I will never abandon #FreeLeahSharibu. I will never keep quiet about the plight of the body of Christ in Nigeria. And I will never bow to you. In fact, both you and I will bow to the only God in existence: God of the Bible
“The reason I initially kept the money I raised for Leah Sharibu’s family secret was because a Nigerian senator begged me to do so. He was afraid that if I made it public, they could be kidnapped. #FreeLeahSharibu is meant to help them, not hurt them.”
He said those who have been paid to discredit him have failed, adding that they will reap the spiritual and physical repercussions of their actions.
