By JAMES KUNDA –
FORMER Nigerian Ambassador to Zambia, Sifawu Inu-Umoru Momoh has expressed shock at a report that she physically attacked a local journalist who was covering her appearance at the Lusaka magistrates’ court this week.
Ambassador Momoh was at the court to testify in a case where she has sued two Geological Survey Department (GSD) officers for swindling her out of more than K89,000 in a precious stone business transaction.
She said in an interview from Nigeria yesterday that the allegation of assault was not true as she was the complainant in the case before the court.
“I am actually shocked with that report because it is a total misrepresentation of facts. I was at the court premises with my friend, Njie Gass, who is my witness and can attest to the fact that that story is not true,” she said.
Ms Momoh said she took the case to court not as an act of personal vendetta but because she cherished Zambia and wanted an end to the scourge under which unscrupulous people duped innocent ones of their hard-earned income.
She said following the election of President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian diplomats serving under the former ruling party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), were recalled to that country with a deadline of up to the end of this month.
Ms Momoh said having served in Zambia for three years, she could not leave the country without a souvenir and thus took interest in a proposal by a local entrepreneur who was selling emeralds.
She said she directed her secretary to engage the two GSD officers, Lazarous Chongo and Brighton Mulenga, in confirming if the emeralds were genuine or not.
“A fake certificate was issued indicating that the emeralds were genuine when in fact not. The woman who sold the emeralds to me even stopped picking her phone and this is why I brought the matter to Police.
“I love Zambia and do not want to talk ill of it. I am a friend of the Government and I took the matter to Police so that the people who are involved in this crime are prosecuted,” she said.
Police brought forward the case so that Ms Momoh could testify before relocating to Nigeria.
She relocated to Nigeria this week and the matter remained before the court.