COZAGATE: Punch Newspaper sacks editors over offensive cartoon

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – The sexual abuse scam which has rocked Commonwealth of Zion Assembly(COZA), following allegations by Busola Dakolo, a professional photographer and wife of R&B singer Timi Dakolo that Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of COZA sexually abused her severally has finally caused what can be described as media earthquake in Punch Newspaper, one of Nigeria’s most respectable medium.

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Mr. Martin Ayankola, the Daily Editor of Punch Newspaper has been sacked along with the cartoonist, while the Saturday Editor, Olabisi Deji-Folutile has been requested to resign.

Their offence was publishing an offensive cartoon, which appeared on the backpage of Punch Newspaper on Thursday.

The cartoon was used to illustrate an opinion page(column) written by Abimbola Adelakun, with the title “What Does Mrs. Fatoyinbo Know.” In the said cartoon, an individual was depicted urinating on the Holy Bible.

So far, The PUNCH has tendered an apology to the public over the offensive cartoon.

“On the back of the page of the Thursday, July 4, 2019 edition of the PUNCH, we published a cartoon to illustrate an article titled, ‘What does Mrs Fatoyinbo know?’ The cartoon features a character desecrating the Holy Bible.

“We apologise for the offensive cartoon and assure our esteemed readers that we hold the Christian faith in high regard. We have since commenced the process of applying appropriate sanctions to the members of staff responsible, and we shall be reviewing our editorial process to prevent re-occurrence”, the Punch Newspaper said.