The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has denied media reports that he visited the embattled former Central Bank Governor (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, in Kuje prison in Abuja.
Speaking with Vanguard on Wednesday afternoon, the spokesman to the monarch, Moses Olafare, said Oba Ogunwusi was at Kuje prison at the instance of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), which is on an advocacy programme at the correctional centre.
Olafare said the NGO, named Hopes Alive Initiative (HAI), is owned by one of his wives, Queen Temitope, and Oba Ogunwusi was at the facility for advocacy and not to visit Emefiele.
He said the monarch was part of the advocacy programme commemorating his eighth coronation anniversary.
He said: “The intent of those spreading the news was to blackmail the monarch; there is nothing hidden about the event. In any case, the king never met Emefiale because it was an official event organised by the NGO in conjunction with the Kuje Correction Centre.
“The programme centres around giving hope to the inmate that, after serving out their terms, they still have hope to reintegrate back to the society. The Arole Ooni was invited to chair the event in commemoration of his eighth anniversary on the throne.
“What is exclusive about a public programme where different public figures spoke and representatives of the inmate also spoke? How then did the Ooni manage to meet Emefiele?
“We must be careful with how people spread falsehoods about people. The video of the event is available to the public.
“I am not even sure Emefiele attended the programme because he is only in detention and not an inmate yet, so why link the programme to Emefiele? It is simply to achieve blackmail”
