Lawyer Rejects ‘Fake Tax Collector’ Reports Against Client
A lawyer representing Mr. Solomon Ejiofor has demanded the immediate correction and withdrawal of publications describing his client as a “fake tax collector” or “suspected fake tax collector” following his arraignment before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The demand was contained in a letter written by Elvis Asia, the Managing Partner of Law Future Partners, and addressed to the management and editors of several media organisations, including P.M. News, Echonews, Leadership Newspapers, ThisTimes, BarristerNG, WuzupNigeria and other platforms.
Elvis said some of the reports concerning Ejiofor’s arraignment in Charge No. FHC/LAG/CR/794/2026 contained descriptions and insinuations which, according to him, went beyond the allegations in the charge and created the impression that his client’s alleged wrongdoing had already been established.
Elvis stressed that Ejiofor was, at all material times, an employee of Forvis Mazars, which provided professional services to Lotus Travels Limited.
The lawyer further explained that the transactions forming the subject of the investigation and criminal prosecution arose within the context of that professional relationship.
He maintained that Ejiofor did not present himself as an independent tax collector or an official of any government revenue authority. He added that his client had denied the allegations of criminal wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charge, stressing that the circumstances surrounding the transactions would be determined by the Court.
The lawyer argued that describing Ejiofor as a “fake tax collector” suggested that he had falsely assumed the identity or authority of a government tax official, an allegation he said was materially different from those contained in the criminal proceedings.
The solicitor further reminded the media organisations that Ejiofor remained entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
He also raised concerns over the publication of Ejiofor’s residential address in some reports, arguing that its appearance in a court document did not justify its unnecessary reproduction in the media.
The lawyer demanded that the address be removed or redacted, citing his client’s right to privacy under Section 37 of the Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
The lawyer further expressed concern that the publications appeared to have been influenced by “interested persons” rather than an objective presentation of the facts.
He gave the publishers seven days to withdraw the disputed descriptions, publish appropriate corrections, clarify that Ejiofor had pleaded not guilty, preserve editorial records relating to the reports and remove his residential address.
He also warned that failure to comply would compel his client to take appropriate legal action without further notice.
The concluding parts of the lawyer’s letter read: “Reservation Of Rights, our Client recognises the right of the press to report judicial proceedings and has no objection to fair and accurate reporting of the criminal charge against him. His objection is to the publication of false descriptions which misrepresent his professional identity, distort the nature of the allegations and expose him to public condemnation before the Court has determined the case and expose his family to security risks.
“Our Client also reserves the right to bring any matters of suspected regulatory or statutory non-compliance or any commission of crime within his knowledge to the attention of the appropriate authorities through separate lawful processes.
