According to The PUNCH, Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, is not involved in N10m bribery scandal and job racketeering as reported by an online platform (not The PUNCH).

MFA Spokesman, Ferdinand Nwonye, in a statement on Friday also said the minister has never met an official of the ministry, Suleiman Momoh, mentioned as his accomplice in the report.

The statement was titled, ‘Re-Exposed – Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Director Caught In N10 Million Bribery Scandal To Secure Appointment –A Rejoinder’.

It read, “The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been drawn to a report by Sahara Reporters, dated 20th April, 2021, alleging that the Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ambassador Zubairu Dada was involved in a N10 million bribery scandal and job racketeering alongside one Mr Suleiman Momoh, a staff of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa, which is a parastatal under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and supervised by the Office of the Honourable Minister of State.

“The Ministry wishes to inform the general public that the reports is untrue, baseless and should be disregarded as the Honourable Minister of State does not known and has never met the officer in question – Mr Suleiman Momoh, neither has he ever been involved in any transaction with him either personally or through any agent, at any point in time.

“The Ministry wishes to further clarify that the Honourable Minister of State does not have any ‘boy’ who represent or run errands on his behalf as DTCA or elsewhere, as alleged in the report.

“The Ministry therefore uses this opportunity to urge the general public to kindly disregard the report, as it was a mischievous ploy to malign the Honourable Minister and defame his hard-earned reputation.”