Ibraheem Al-Hassan, the Code of Conduct Tribunal spokesman, has said he was instructed to use “Biafran Boys” in the statement he released in defence of his boss, the Chairman of the CCT, Umar Danladi who allegedly assaulted a security guard at Banex Plaza in Wuse, Abuja.
Alhassan also explained why the statement he issued was full of grammatical errors. According to him, he did not edit the statement, which he typed with his phone, before releasing the same.
His explanation comes after the backlash on social media that followed the grammatical errors in the statement.
He said, “All the grammatical errors and what have you, were not noted. I did not proofread it; I was in the car when I composed it with my android (phone).”
He added that the statement was written under pressure and that he regretted it.
“There has never been an issue with my statements, as I am speaking with you, I am regretting my action,” he said.
“There’s a problem with that statement. In fact, we are about disowning it. We want to retract the content because it was written under intense pressure. I must confess to you, that is why there are many structural imbalances, language structure not being perfect and, again, some of the expressions used. I acted on instruction.”
Danladi, the CCT boss, was caught on camera physically assaulting a security guard at Banex Plaza in Wuse, Abuja.
In a five-minute video that has gone viral online, Danlandi was seen slapping and kicking the yet-to-be-identified security guard, while police officers suspected to be attached to him were trying to restrain him from attacking the guard
Al-Hassan on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, issued a statement in defence of Umar as follows:
“Press Statement from the Code of Conduct Bureau
“Our attention was drawn on a report from some online publication with a video cliff 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.
“Unfortunately, yesterday’s altercations started over a packing lot, which Chairman met vacant and it was directly opposite a shop he want to make a purchase and to fixe 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 convinced chairman, though Chairman didn’t identify himself, because to him is needless and is a place he visited often, but the boy was rode in his approached and threaten to deal with Chairman if he refuse to leave the scene.
“Again, if Chairman had went there to cause trouble or intimidate some one, as suggested in the report, he would have gone there in his full official paraphernalia, but he went there alone with his younger brother.
“The Police men seen in the video cliff 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 matches and shape object 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.
“An incident like this when it happened, sympathy usually goes to the low personalities. Though is unfortunate as I said, it ought not to have happened.”