Umar, CCT Chairman claims he was attacked by Biafran boys at Banex Plaza

 

Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, has denied assaulting a security guard at the Banex Plaza, Abuja, claiming instead that he was attacked by ‘Biafran boys’.

Umar was reacting to an incident which occurred at the plaza on Tuesday, March 30, 2021.

MuchTalksBlog had reported that the CCT Chairman was caught on camera assaulting a security guard at the busy plaza. The incident took place at the parking lot of the shopping complex. Umar, who was in company of some security operatives, had slapped and kicked out at the guard; even as the police operatives tried to restrain him.

Subsequently, his action had sparked an angry reaction from a few persons at the plaza; some of whom proceeded to react angrily. The security guard he assaulted had led the angry reaction, visibly storming around the car of the CCT Chairman and banging on it. In the ensuing melee, the windscreen of his car was also allegedly shattered.

However, Umar has now denied assaulting the security guard, despite video footage to the contrary.

This was contained in a swiftly worded and error-strewn release signed by Ibraheem Al-Hassan; Head, Press and Public Relations of the CCT.

‘‘Our attention was drawn on a report from some online publication with a video clip suggesting Hon Chairman, Justice Danladi Y. Umar assaulted a Security Guard at Banex Plaza. To start with, the said plaza has been his usual place of visits for the past 18 years for shopping and repairs of his phones, and in all these periods there have never been any time he had any turmoil with anybody.’’

Further, the release claimed that the security guard was rude to Umar.

‘‘Unfortunately, yesterday’s altercations started over a parking lot, which Chairman met vacant…It was directly opposite a shop he wanted to make a purchase and to fix his phone. When the young security guard sighted him, he ordered that Chairman should not pack his car in that particular empty space.

‘‘But Chairman asked why. The security guard couldn’t convince Chairman, though Chairman didn’t identify himself, because to him, it’s needless and is a place he visited often. But the boy was rude in his approach and threatened to deal with Chairman; if he refuses to leave the scene. Again, if Chairman had gone there to cause trouble or intimidate someone, as suggested in the report; he would have gone there in his full official paraphernalia. But he went there alone with his younger brother.’’

Subsequently, Al-Hassan claimed that the aggressors were Biafran boys.

‘‘The Police men seen in the video clip were not the Chairman’s police team. They were policemen operating around the plaza whom at first instance intervened before the arrival of police team from Maitama Police station. As the few policemen in the complex were apparently overwhelmed by the mobs; consisting of BIAFRAN boys throwing matchetes and sharp objects to his car; which led to deep cut and dislocation in one of his finger, causing damage to his car, smashing his windscreen.

‘‘At a point he attempted to leave the scene, these same miscreants, BIAFRAN boy ordered for the closure of the gate; thereby assaulting him before the arrival of police team from Maitama police station.’’