Yari denies assaulting FAAN official, demands apology

A former governor of Zamfara State, Mr. Abdulaziz Yari, has denied assaulting an official of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on Saturday.

FAAN had on Wednesday tweeted on its official Twitter handle that the ex-governor allegedly assaulted an airport official on Saturday 11th July 2020.

But Yari, in a statement by his Media aide, Mayowa Oluwabiyi, on Thursday, admitted that he passed through the airport but did assault any airport official.

Yari also said he followed all the COVID-19 preventive protocols set by FAAN.

He insisted that the incident cited in the tweet simply never happened.

He, therefore, demanded an unreserved apology from FAAN authorities for allegedly publishing falsehood about him.

The former governor also threatened to drag a former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, to court over his tweet on the issue.

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.More in Home

“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.”