Apologize in 48 hours or face Court Action, Premium Steel threatens Nigerian Voice

Premium Steel and Mines Limited, Ovwian-Aladja, Delta State, the new owners of the former Delta Steel Company has threatened to drag an online news platform, ‘the Nigerian Voice’ to Court over a publication which tagged PSML as criminals and thieves.

In a letter addressed to the Managing Editor of the Nigerian Voice titled, ‘’Immediately Retract Your Publication of 3^rd August 2019 titled ‘New owners of Delta Steel Company (DSC) are Criminals, Thieves, says Youth President,’’ the company expressed dismay with the allegations that it was stealing its own property whereas PSML was investing Billions of naira in resuscitating the plant.

The letter which was signed by Mr. Emmanuel Etaghene, Assistant General Manager, Corporate Affairs with Premium Steel and made available to our correspondent, took a swipe at one Comrade Freeborn Ovwmejephan, who made the statement and purportedly claimed that he was Udu youth president whereas he was not.

‘’We read with utter dismay your publication of August 3, 2019 titled: ‘New owners of Delta Steel Company (DSC) are Criminals, Thieves, says Youth President, Activist’. In the said publication, you have made very serious and unfounded allegations against Premium Steel and Mines Limited (PSML) and the person of the Managing Director of PSML. You accused PSML and its MD of being criminals, thieves, fraudsters and vandalizing the assets of DSC sold to PSML by the Federal Government. You claimed that the President General of Udu youths, both at home and in Diaspora, Comrade Freeborn Ovwemejephan has levied an allegation of assets stripping against PSML and that PSML is doing nothing to revitalize the plant, but instead, PSML is vandalizing and selling the equipment of DSC. You have claimed that the police have unjustly let go of some suspects that were arrested in connection with the alleged sale of property of the company. All these are information you claimed you received in the course of your investigation into the activities of the company. Your aforementioned publication is filled with malignant falsehood and is ridiculously defamatory as same has maligned the corporate personality of both PSML and that of the MD of PSML. Your publication is not only defamatory but in clear breach of the Cyber Crime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act of 2015, the newspaper law of Delta State and the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria, etc.In this wise, take note that PSML and MD of PSML are pained, embarrassed and offended by your publication which is thronged with fibs capable of igniting insurrection against PSML and the Nigerian Police. You are hereby given 48 hours to retract the publication and give unreserved apologies on your website or blog and simultaneously publish same retraction in two national dailies. Take note that PSML and its MD are poise to approach the courts to seek redress against you and all those mentioned in your online publication if your publication is not retracted and apologies published within 48 hours’’, the letter read.

In a chat with our correspondent on phone, Mr. Etaghene emphasized that there is nothing like assets stripping in the plant and that those stopped by the company security arrangement from stealing the company property at night could responsible for the unfounded rumours and nebulous allegation, maintaining that PSML cannot and do not steal its own property.

He added that if those involved in the publication fail to apologize as demanded, they will sing in court to explain how PSML could steal its own property after investing billions of naira in the plant.

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