An online newspaper, NewsBreakNG, has withdrawn a publication linking the Director of Marketing and Special Duties in the National Theatre, Mr Abiodun Femi Joel, to cases of corruption and financial impropriety in the organisation.
The retraction, which was published on April 9th, 2023 on its news platform, indicated that the claims by staff of the National Theatre to have petitioned the ICPC to wade into the corrupt activities being engaged in by Mr Joel and his co-conspirators, are false and malicious.
The retraction occurred following a letter sent by the lawyer of Mr Femi, accusing the media platform of damaging the reputation of its client.
The intensity of the attack, however, made NewsBreakNG disclaimed the publication, maintaining that it was unfounded and a defamatory allegation against the Director.
In the apology published on its website on 25th of April, the platform wrote: “The story about the corrupt activities perpetrated by Mr Abiodun Femi Joel and his co-conspirators, which we published on our platform, was a mistake and we apologise.
“It was incorrect and published without proper checks. We have removed the story and have launched an urgent investigation into how this happened.
“The NewsBreakNG’s reputation for accuracy and balance remains of paramount importance and we are taking the appropriate steps to ensure that mistakes like this do not happen again.”