By Pascal Oparada
Oak TV, an internet TV platform, has apologised to Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information, for publishing a video in which the minister said the government spends N3.5 million monthly to feed Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
In the trending video, the minister begged not to be quoted before making the claim about the leader of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).
On Twitter, the tweets about both the video and the minister have gathered close to 18,000 tweets and mentions.
Many Nigerians slammed the minister for making what they consider bogus claims.
Also read: https://www.thenicheng.com/nigerians-flay-lai-mohammed-over-el-zazaky/
However, the video was published and has since gone viral on social media. Reactions have trailed the video, with many describing the claim as untrue.
In a letter addressed to the minister on Thursday, Oak TV said reporters involved in airing the video has been sanctioned.”
The letter read: “On Wednesday, November 7, Oak TV made some error in its reporting regarding a conversation with the minister of information.
“This is an error which we regret. All team members involved have been sanctioned, and we would do more to tighten our gatekeeping responsibilities.”
The internet TV apologised for any embarrassment the video may have caused the minister.
Despite the bail granted to him by a federal high court, El-Zakzaky has been denied freedom since December 2015 and has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).