Former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, has denied allegations of assaulting an airport official at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Saturday.
Recall that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in a Wednesday statement accused the ex-governor of assaulting the unnamed official that attempted to disinfect his luggage in line with established COVID-19 protocols.
“He refused to adhere to the protocols and procedures put in place by the Federal Government through the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 by forcefully pushing away an officer of the Environment Department when he insisted that his luggage must be disinfected.
“The former Governor said the officer should have known he is a VIP,” the statement read in part.
But in a statement through his media consultant, Mayowa Oluwabiyi, Yari demanded a retraction of the statement and an apology from FAAN for the falsehood peddled against him.
The ex-governor said that although he used the airport on the said date, no such incident occurred.
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“The attention of H.E Abdulaziz Yari, the former Governor of Zamfara State has been drawn to a tweet posted on Wednesday, 15th July, 2020 on the official Twitter account of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) that alleges that the ex-governor assaulted an airport official on Saturday 11th July, 2020 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
“We wish to state categorically that H.E Abdulaziz Yari did pass through the MAKIA on the said day, but did not assault any airport official. He also followed all the COVID-19 preventive protocols set by FAAN.
“The incident cited in the tweet simply never happened.
“H.E Abdulaziz Yari finds the tweet odious and distasteful, he therefore demands that FAAN retract the offensive tweet and tender an immediate public apology to him for the falsehood published about his person,” Oluwabiyi’s statement read in part.
“We wish to re-affirm that H.E Abdulaziz Yari, the former governor of Zamfara state is a law-abiding Nigerian who will never resort to violence on any issue whatsoever.
“H.E Yari holds the Federal Government of Nigeria in very high esteem and supports all steps taken by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to fight the deadly pandemic.
“However, the vicious attack on the person and reputation of H.E Abdulaziz Yari cannot be winked at,” Oluwabiyi noted.
He said the ex-minister would hear from his lawyers soon over the vicious attack.
