Harmony Gardens Takes A Swipe At Sahara Reporters Over Defamatory Publication Against Its CEO, Dr. Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa, Seeks Apology, Legal Redress

The management of Harmony Gardens and Estate Development Limited, has officially reacted to the misleading and malicious story fabricated by Sahara Reporters on Friday March 7, 2025 which purported that the CEO of the organization, Dr. Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa was shot by the personnel of Nigerian Navy and that his security aides were overpowered and detained at the naval base in the Oko Orisan area of Epe, Lagos State. 

The management wondered why Sahara Reporters was always known for peddling fake news, promoting falsehoods with a penchant for blackmail journalism and brazenly violating other ethical considerations required in professional and excellent journalism.

It further clarified that there was no altercation between its CEO and any military personnel in Epe, while also adding that Dr. Mosadoluwa was never shot at, nor his security aides attacked or detained.

The management maintained that the story should be dismissed in its entirety for lack of merit and truth.

Although the management admitted that some armed naval officers forcefully gained access to their Estate while some assailants also attempted to assassinate the CEO alongside some customers who were within the premises on the said day.

Narrating the ordeal further, the management decried the inter-agency rivalry that ensued between the mobile police officers and the naval personnel resulting in shooting of vehicles parked in the premises and some of the armed mobile policemen on guard were also disarmed by the military personnel in flagrant abuse of power..

However, the intervention of Dr. Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa according to the management brought calm and normalcy to the embarrassing situation. It was also gathered that police and Naval authorities are now on top of the matter to bring the erring military officers to book for being overzealous and lawless in their conducts. The company also dismissed any land grabbing or terrorism claim as erroneously reported by Sahara Reporters.

The management equally berated the editorial team of Sahara Reporters for their non regard to factual evidence which they said has become a thorn in the flesh of Nigeria journalism thereby calling on the Nigerian Press Council NPC, and other disciplinary organs of Nigeria Union of Journalist NUJ, so as to bring sanity to the noble profession.

During a chat with some selected journalists at the corporate headquarters of Harmony Gardens, Lagos, the CEO, Dr. Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa in his reaction during the break of Ramadan fast on Friday, described Sahara Reporters as "online rag", and calling its activities as a total menace to the Nigerian society.

According to Dr. Mosadoluwa:

"As you can see, all my security aides are fully on ground in all our estates, the estate vehicles got damaged during the invasion in a calculated attempt to assassinate me in one of my Estates last Saturday in which they failed during the show of shame. As we speak, the Police and military authorities are still querying and investigating the immediate and remote cause of the incident, while also assuring that the perpetrators and those who were in uniform that conspired with the assailants would be brought to book.

"Nobody was detained despite the violent attack, all my security details are very mature in handling the assailant and they did that professionally and with utmost respect to human dignity and civility. I am hale and hearty. And as you can see for yourself, when I took you round our premises, did you see me limping? That is how low some journalists could go in misleading the public and misrepresenting facts all for pecuniary gains. Sahara Reporters has depicted itself as an online rag.

"Our people have lost their conscience and sanity and that is a very dangerous dimension in the practice of journalism. Assuming the assassins succeeded in killing me, that is how Sahara Reporters will still mislead the public to satisfy their pay masters who have been trying not only to assassinate my character, but to blackmail and looking for any way possible to tarnish my name and take me down, but God put them to shame. They are all a complete joke, they will continue to fail and I commend the law enforcement agents for standing for justice and providing adequate security.

"With my little understanding of journalism, before anyone could go to press, they needed to get their facts right and balance their story, that is the basic ethical standard and requirement, but Sahara Reporters did not do this, but went to press to put our reputation on the line, unfortunately for them, the whole world can see that they have failed again, in their usual hatchet job that they are already known for.

"For the record, let me also state that I was never arrested, and I was not flown to Abuja by any combined team from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit.

"It is also fallacious and unfounded to link me or any of my staff members to any act of criminality, be it land grabbing, terrorism or violent attack on any innocent residents in Lagos State. All those allegations have been investigated and we have no case to answer. Meanwhile, I need to also emphasize that cyberstalking is a heinous crime, especially publications that are untrue, damaging and of misleading contents; worst still, presenting these contents as facts to the unsuspecting members of public all in the name of journalism without due diligence is also terrible and reprehensible and it should be strongly condemned by all well meaning Nigerians.

"Yes! I am fully aware of a particular case reported by my company against a certain lady that was cyberstalking me and my companies with the intention to demarket our company which was reported to the office of the DIG Force CID in which someone was trying to namedrop the IGP that he had told them not to investigate base on their influence at IGP Monitoring Units to discharge the real criminal complaint of cyberstalking on the ground of mere frivolous complaint against police action which would never work because if there was a complaint against police for serving invitation on accused, how does that stop investigating a cyberstalking and threats to live case?

"However, let me state very clearly that Harmony Gardens and Estate Development Limited has formally notified our legal team to take necessary legal action against Sahara Reporters and the author of that fake story as well. We unequivocally condemned the premeditated publication in its entirety and called for retraction by the publisher on all their libelous publication before the general public, as well as a formal apology to the management which is under my leadership, Dr. Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa.

"We are also using this press briefing to draw the attention of the Nigerian Press Council NPC, and other disciplinary organs of Nigeria Union of Journalist NUJ, to call Sahara Reporters to order and sanction them accordingly so as to serve as a deterrent to unethical journalism. Sahara Reporters are always out to satisfy their pay masters by constantly involving in a hatchet job to damage people's reputation without conscience, this is not journalism at all.

"Permit me to also add that we have nothing to hide and our records are clean and all our clients can attest to this everywhere we are in Nigeria. To the glory of God I am the founder and owner of Harmony Gardens and Estate Development Limited, Royal Crystal Airways, New Horizon Aviation Agency, Ibile Auctioneer and Recovery and Ibile Food Security Farm City Limited. Today we have many Nigerians in their hundreds plus some few expatriates working for us as part of our significant contributions to the economic growth of our dear country, Nigeria

"Sahara Reporters has a well-documented history of unethical practices, its penchant for sensationalism and disregard for factual accuracy is a stain on the journalistic community. The recent malicious and misleading publication about Harmony Gardens and Estate Development Limited is a glaring example of Sahara Reporters modus operandi and this must stop forthwith. We should not watch helplessly while some few bad eggs destroy a cherished and noble profession like journalism in Nigeria. Enough is enough."