On 19th April 2023, Breezy News published a story titled, “Ex-company secretary alleges N2.5b fraud in ASO Savings; directors say it’s blackmail”.
The said story included a scanned copy of a letter dated 1st February 2023 with the title: “Re: Approved Compensation for the Shops/Buildings Demolished at Abule-Ado (Building Plumbing Materials Market) for Lagos-Badagry Road Expansion: Demand and Notice of Court Order That the Money Be Paid into a Joint Bank Account of Solicitors for the Bank and Association”. The said letter was signed on behalf of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State. It was addressed to “The Principal, Kusamotu Associates”.
Contrary to our report, Kusamotu Associates, whose principal is Barrister Olatunde Kusamotu has had retainership with Union Homes since 2000, having been signed on by the company’s then Company Secretary. A. A. Daniel, Esq. Barrister Olatunde Kusamotu was also duly instructed by Union Homes, Savings and Loans Plc to recover compensation from the Lagos State Government.
Having established that Barrister Olatunde Kusamotu of Kusamotu Associates is a long-standing legal practitioner, who operates according to the dictates of his profession and who is also ethically upright, Breezy News and its publishers, Leap Communications Limited retract any damaging reference – directly or by inference – to both Kusamotu Associates and Barrister Olatunde Kusamotu in the newspaper’s publication of 19th April 2023, titled, “Ex-company secretary alleges N2.5b fraud in ASO Savings; directors say it’s blackmail”. Since certain motions of in the said story have been found to be inaccurate, the publication under reference has been pulled down. And we regret that those inaccurate portions were published in the first instance.
Breezy News and its publishers, Leap Communications Limited apologise to Kusamotu Associates and Barrister Olatunde Kusamotu for this obvious error. We have no reason whatsoever to defame Kusamotu Associates and Barrister Olatunde Kusamotu. As stated in the “About Us” section on its website, “Breezy News …is founded on journalism ethics and standards”. Since it started publishing in February 2022, Breezy News and its publishers, Leap Communications Limited have kept to their mandate, and this situation happened because both Breezy News and its publishers, Leap Communications Limited insisted on having inputs from all the parties involved in the matter before publishing, in the course of which both the publishing house and its news publication got entwined in the protracted legal tussle involving other parties.
Breezy News and its publishers, Leap Communications Limited hereby assure Kusamotu Associates and Barrister Olatunde Kusamotu that they hold the latter parties in high regards giving the untainted reputation both have established. To show good faith, Breezy News and its publishers, Leap Communications Limited have not had any publication on this matter since the now offending report of 19th April 2023.
The CEO/Lead Consultant of Leap Communications, Mr. Muyiwa Akintunde, who is also Publisher of Breezy News has also guaranteed that no other report will be published on this matter.
