Charles Oputa, AKA Charly Boy is furious over claims by the press that he is gay and a member of a secret society

After the newspapers that had published stories that he is gay and a member of the Illuminati Secret Society had failed to retract their stories; controversial musician Charles Oputa (popularly known as Charly Boy) has given his lawyers “very firm instructions to do everything legally possible to make the people responsible for this accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

In a press statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, Charly Boy said that he is taking the step to protect his name and brand from “ignominious extinction”.

“I have made a career of fighting for the rights of others and I will certainly not be shy in fighting for my own rights in a situation such as this,” Charly Boy, 60 said.

Last weekend, the National Mirror published stories from Danfo Express, a new publication, in which Mr. Oputa purportedly declared that he is gay and “not ashamed of being gay.”

In the article, Mr. Oputa was described as the second publicly known homosexual in Nigeria; the article also held that Charly Boy is the leader of the Illuminati in Nigeria.

Charly boy’s tweet after the story went viral on various websites and blogs; vehemently denied the claims the newspaper made. He also asked the National Mirror and another newspaper, the Daily Independent, to publicly retract the stories.

“Ever since these stories broke… I have been inundated with angry calls by my friends, admirers, business associates and family members who have expressed their disgust, disappointment and shock at the ‘confessions’ they have been reading about in different forums.

“My businesses have irreparably suffered and my family seriously mortified in the public eye.

“I have essentially become an object of ridicule worldwide as a result of these wicked lies being reported as fact.

“In fact, one of my daughters recently wrote me a heart-breaking letter on how this development has affected her emotionally to the point where she was even ashamed and scared of going out in public,” Charly Boy said.

Mr. Oputa further stated the newspapers refusal to remove the article from their websites has confirmed his suspicions that they were interested in increasing their circulation rather than reporting the truth.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, I want to assure Nigerians that I am not gay and I am not part of any organization called the ‘illuminati’ in any way shape or form,” Charly Boy said.

“I also categorically state that any reports of my alleged ‘confession’ to any newspaper is a figment of the imagination of my detractors, and a very insidious attempt to destroy my hard-earned reputation, and that of my Charly Boy brand, all in the mad rush of some newspapers, specifically the National Mirror and the Daily Independent, to increase their circulation through spurious and attention grabbing stories.”