In recent days and maybe weeks, the Imo State blogosphere, have been flooded with attacks by government sponsored online writers, against US based businesswoman and socialite, Dr Sandra Chidinma Duru.
They have made numerous attacks at her, branded her names and made numerous unsubstantiated accusations at her person. They seemed to rely more on old, unconfirmed also believed to be Okorocha government sponsored attacks against her.
What is it with Sandra Duru that regime after regime in Imo State, the government seems to dedicate a lot of time and resources fighting one person?
The name, Sandra Duru came to limelight some years ago, when she made so very strong accusations against the former Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere.
It was a scandal, that keeps resonating in the minds of Imo people till date.
Sandra Duru was accused of being a blackmailer. Interestingly, she pointed out that the title would have suited her, if she had been demanding money from the former deputy governor to keep quiet.
Always interesting to note, was that Sandra Duru at that time resided in Lagos Nigeria and didn’t hide her location. She also didn’t hide when she came to Imo State and yet, the former deputy governor never instituted legal actions against her, or even called for her arrest for defamation or blackmail.
“Ask them how I am a blackmailer,” Sandra Duru said when we placed a call to her US number. “When the man I openly accused of a crime never denied it or even threaten to take me to court. If I was really blackmailing somebody as powerful as a Deputy Governor of a state, would I be doing so while in Nigeria? Would I have visited Imo several times without being arrested. Even a foolish person can see that everything they said against me are all false, accusations they cannot substantiate.”
Other accusations of fraud were made against her by the government sponsored writers but each time, Sandra Duru have challenged them to produce those she supposedly defrauded.
“They mention names of people who don’t exists and claim I defrauded the said persons,” Sandra Duru said. “Who are those people, let them give us their addresses or their phone number. Let them even show us their pictures or better still, let them show documents to prove any form of fraud. I laugh when I read those accusations and I feel sorry for those who believe them. Even an insane person cannot believe such stories.
“They claim Sandra Duru is bad, she is a blackmailer, she is a fraudster, let them mention the names of those I supposedly defrauded or blackmailed. We want to see names we can verify not names that don’t exist. Give us documentation of those allegations and whether I was found guilty of any of such accusations “
When asked why the Hope Uzodinma administration, is spending a lot of money and manpower to attack her, Sandra Duru opened up.
“I don’t like injustice,” she stated. “I have always spoken against it being a victim of injustice numerous times. My gross with the Hope Uzodinma administration are in four folds, the suspension of Mrs. Vivian Ottih for crying for payment of months of salaries owed her, the arrest of Mr Ambose Nwaogwugwu, the nonpayment of salaries of civil servants and pensions to our old pensioners. Lastly, I have a personal issue with the government which I have documentations to prove and will make them very public very soon, unfortunately to the embarrassment of the administration. I am owed for my intellectual property.
“His ill advised aides have been sending their paid e-rats to attack me with old, unsubstantiated lies. I wonder if this is the kind of gig Hope Uzodinma hopes to run in Imo State. Its embarrassing.”
There have been online complaints of government sponsored elements, warning off her supporters and fans but as the day goes by, the people of Imo State seem to be paying more attention to Sandra Duru. A visit to some defamatory posts by government sponsored writers against her, showed many people who commented there, doubting their stories and demanding substantiation of their allegations, which so far they have failed to do. The government sponsored writers, now sound like broken records repeating the same verse without over and over. Most of their articles, seems to have been written by a controller, and handed over to each person to share on their walls.
With the impending political battles circling Gov Hope Uzodinma in the forms of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Rochas Okorocha and Emeka Ihedioha, picking another fight with Sandra Duru seems an overkill by the governor’s handlers, who seem to court controversy and battles for him, instead of help him make governance smooth for him and the people.
“Sandra Duru will land them in trouble with the way they are going,” a concerned Imolite commented.
