#SaveMayowa wasn’t a scam – Nigerians Drag Linda Ikeji Over ‘Insensitive’ Apology

Days after the Lagos State Police Command published a report confirming that the #SaveMayowa campaign was not a scam, blogger Linda Ikeji apologised for accusing the family of scamming Nigerians. However, she is being called out on Twitter over the shots she took at the Mayowa Ahmed family in the apology.

 

 

She wrote:

�I received a call saying the #SaveMayowa campaign was a scam. That the lady was terminally ill and the family had no intentions of using the money raised for her health to treat her as they had no invite from the hospital in Atlanta, neither did she even have a visa to the US.

They wanted me to blog it quickly so people could stop donating. I found it hard to believe at first but it was coming from people who were directly involved in raising money for the sick girl. I sent someone to LUTH to investigate, he got there and found chaos. The Police was already involved, people were being questioned, some folks were shouting, he spoke to people in the hospital and many seemed confused. I spoke with those who had called me, and they said 1000%, the whole thing was a scam.

And I sincerely believe that at the time they told me this, they genuinely believed it to be a fact. I don’t think it was done maliciously. After they sent me documents showing the hospital in Atlanta was not really involved in Mayowa’s treatment and LUTH medical directors denied knowledge of a fund raising for the sick girl, I believed it to also be a fact! And I wrote it. My mistake, I think, was owning the story, I probably should have quoted them. And maybe investigated more. My apologies to the family! The post has since been taken down.”

However, Ms Ikeji’s note was laced with doubt, because she added:

�What I am happy about is that; even if the family had had dubious intentions initially, now they can’t do any of that, as everyone is now watching. So maybe a good thing came out of the whole chaos.”

This paragraph raised eyebrows. Upset folks took to social media to call her out.

�Linda ikeji should have not bothered if she was still going to drag Mayowa’s Family,” one twitter user said. Another said, �Linda Ikeji is really terrible. Can’t even defend her nonsense. Did a blog post to apologise to Mayowa’s fam, but still threw shots.”

See the reactions:

Look at Linda ikeji dragging the family of a woman that is very sick.

I always say this “Never trust the humility of a poor man”

� Cinderella Man (@Osi_Suave) August 14, 2016

Linda. Unbelievable.

� ST. (@seyitaylor) August 14, 2016

Because she’s hateful.
This isn’t about jealousy of her success. She’s low, dirty, vile and devoid of human feelings https://t.co/OyiLxfzVee

� Heaven’s Girl (@CheRox) August 14, 2016

I apologise to journalists everywhere if I’ve ever implied that Linda was one of you.

� René d’Herblay (@TheBlackHermit) August 14, 2016

Mayowa’s family should sue Linda. This is unacceptable #SaveMayowa

� ArinolaOluwa❤ (@areenolar) August 14, 2016

Following outrage over Ms Ikeji’s non-apology, the blogger quickly edited out the offensive part of her post, but not before folks had made screenshots of it.