The MSM Group Limited has filed formal petitions to top security and anti-graft agencies, accusing the Oduduwa Transparency Network (OPN) and its president, Mr. Mahmud Adebayo, of making malicious and defamatory statements against the company.
In letters addressed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), MSM Group—through its counsel, Habeeb Oredola—urged the agencies to “deploy the machinery of the law” to investigate and take action against those involved.
The petitions, dated August 11, allege that OPN and Adebayo “deliberately, and with malicious intent, disseminated to the media and the public blatant falsehoods extremely injurious to our client’s reputation… devoid of any iota of truth, and calculated to expose our client to ridicule and public hatred.”
According to the company, the dispute arose after OPN held a press conference on August 6, 2025, where Adebayo allegedly made sweeping, unfounded allegations of money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, and conspiracy involving MSM Group and its subsidiaries.
“The Oduduwa Transparency Network, without fact-checking or investigation, recklessly convened a press conference solely to malign our client’s reputation,” the petition stated, adding that the event attracted significant media coverage.
MSM Group further accused OPN of “presenting unsubstantiated speculation as established fact” and attempting to link the company’s legitimate business activities to “fabricated criminal conduct” using “inflammatory language and conspiracy theories presented as investigative findings.”
The company claimed that several media outlets, including The Guardian, Daily Post Nigeria, and Champion Newspapers, amplified the “baseless criminal allegations,” causing severe reputational harm.
“By imputing fictitious and grave criminal allegations against our client, the OPN and its President have unjustifiably exposed our client to public ridicule, hatred, and contempt,” MSM Group told the agencies.
