A former governor of Zamfara State Abdulaziz Yari has threatened to sue a former minister of aviation Femi Fani-Kayode for his “vicious” reaction to news that he (Yari) assaulted an airport official.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria released a statement on Wednesday alleging that Yari assaulted an airport official who was carrying out COVID-19 protocols at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on Saturday, July 11.
In reaction, Mr Fani-Kayode tweeted that if he were still aviation minister he would have banned Yari from airports and “have him arrested, chained, detained, prosecuted and jailed.”
But the ex-governor in a statement on Thursday by his media aide Mayowa Oluwabiyi admitted that he passed through the airport but did assault any airport official.
Yari said he followed all the COVID-19 preventive protocols set by FAAN and demanded apology from FAAN.
The statement read, “His Excellency Abdulaziz Yari finds the (FAAN) 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.
“His Excellency Abdulaziz Yari also noted the unwarranted and needlessly vicious attack on his person and reputation by the former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-kayode via his Twitter handle @realffk as a result of the tweet from FAAN earlier on Wednesday.
“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.
“Mr. Femi Fani-kayode will hear from H.E Yari’s lawyers in due course in order to set the record straight.”
