?As lady admits lying, withdraws petition, apologises

Following his discharge by the court of the rape allegation by a lady, Hadiza Baffa, the former Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has opened up to clarify the matter, saying this "has become necessary both for the record and for posterity to set the facts straight, as silence is no longer golden."

Already, after admitting to have lied against Turaki and apologised, Hadiza Baffa withdrew her petition with the police, paving the way for the court to strike out the matter and discharge the former minister of the false allegations and charges.

Also, the lady's father, Musa Bashir Baffa, has written a formal letter of apology to Turaki, pleading forgiveness for his family while also accusing his daughter, Hadiza Baffa and her mother, who he described in his letter as his former wife, of being used by the former Minister's political adversaries to tarnish his image.

Recall that Hadiza Baffa had last year claimed that the former minister took advantage of her, violated her and harvested eight pregnancies for alleged ritual purposes and was also after her life.

Following the allegations and petition by Hadiza Baffa, the former Minister, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was charged to court. But the matter was eventually struck out by the court after Hadiza Baffa admitted lying against Turaki, apologised and withdrew her petition with the police.

Turaki, in turn, in September 2024, sued Hadiza Baffa, the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police and others over the matter.

According to Turaki in a statement on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media, Lawal Umar, "In light of these facts, it is both fair and just to acknowledge that the allegations were unfounded and as Mr. Turaki has consistently maintained, were orchestrated by political adversaries using her as part of a smear campaign. He has refused to succumb to such tactics and remains committed to upholding his integrity, the rule of law, and the principles of justice."

The statement however noted that Turaki, being a former minister and a SAN, refrained from commenting on the matter during police investigation to avoid being accused of interference and contempt for judicial processes.

This stance of the former Minister, the statement added, however, gave room for unverified narratives to trend on social media while Turaki "allowed the authorities to conduct their work without interference."

Turaki, however, stated that despite the court striking out the case after discharging him, and since "the matter has continued to trend with different narratives tailored to suit various sponsors," he has found it imperative, for record purposes and posterity, to speak out.

Therefore, revealing the background of the lady's false allegations against the former minister, the statement explained, "Hadiza Baffa was entrusted to Mr. Turaki?s care by her mother when she relocated to Abuja, as she was new to the city. In the spirit of longstanding friendship with her family, he accepted this responsibility and treated her in a manner befitting that of a guardian. However, following her repeated involvement in financial scams and subsequent detentions where Mr. Turaki was frequently called upon to intervene and settle matters he reported her conduct to her mother and withdrew his guardianship. Aggrieved by this decision, Hadiza Baffa petitioned the police, making spurious allegations against him, including claims of rape, unlawful termination of pregnancy, and threats to life, which she also published on various social media platforms.

"Following a thorough police investigation, Hadiza Baffa was unable to substantiate her allegations. Despite the lack of evidence, a charge was filed against Mr. Turaki. However, she later wrote to the police and the court to withdraw her petition, leading to the striking out of the charge and Mr. Turaki?s subsequent discharge."

It further stated, "Significantly, her father who had initially supported his daughter later reviewed the circumstances in full and wrote a letter of apology to Mr. Turaki, expressing appreciation for his care towards his daughter and regret over the entire episode. Subsequently, Ms. Baffa herself sent a written WhatsApp message from her verified number (0806 795 7035), stating: ?Salaam, ya ibada? Allah ya karba mana. Seeing you yesterday in the witness box was heart-wrenching and it saddens me a lot, I couldn?t stop thinking about it. I never wished for all this to happen but unfortunately, we are here already. I want to withdraw my police case and for the sake of this holy month please forgive me, bygones be bygones. May Allah ease our affairs.?"

The statement further noted, "Regarding the DNA aspect of the matter, Mr. Turaki only became aware of the purported result through certain social media platforms and has challenged its authenticity in court. The Court has, in fact, restrained parties from relying on it pending the determination of the suit."

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