A security guard assaulted by the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, in Abuja on Monday, has narrated his ordeal to PREMIUM TIMES.
The victim, Clement Sargwak, tracked down by our reporter on Wednesday, is a 22-year-old employee of Jul Reliable Guards Services Limited, posted as a security guard to Banex Plaza, in Wuse, Abuja, where he was attacked by Mr Umar on Monday.
Mr Umar was caught in a viral video clip slapping and kicking the security guard following an altercation between them over the space where the CCT chairman parked his car on the premises of the plaza.
The CCT, in a statement, on Tuesday, denied the assault allegation, insisting that it was Mr Umar that was assaulted by “some miscreants” who gathered at the scene of the incident.
In what appears a bid to justify Mr Umar’s attack on the security guard, the statement stated that Mr Sargwak was ‘rude’ in ordering the CCT chairman to remove his car from the parking space “for no reason”.
Mr Umar’s conduct has been widely condemned with many Nigerians calling for his prosecution.
Sargwak’s ordeal
But narrating his ordeal, Mr Sargwak, who had a bruised lip, said in pidgin English that he was assaulted after informing Mr Umar that his car was wrongly parked.
He said, ”I work as a security man stationed at the car park section at the old Banex Plaza. I was on duty when a man (Mr Umar) arrived in his car at the plaza and I noticed he parked his vehicle wrongly.
“Then I approached him to inform him about his wrong parking, because he had parked by the roadside obstructing other visitors arriving at the plaza.
”After I informed him about his wrong parking, he came out and slapped me, when he slapped me the driver also came down and slapped me and they tore my uniform and they stepped over me severally.”
Responding to the allegation that he threatened Mr Umar, Mr Sargwak said, ”It was even the ‘Oga’ by himself (Mr Umar) that went to his car to pick up an iron rod in an attempt to hit me on my head.
“A tenant at the plaza quickly held his hand and pleaded with him on my behalf not to hit me with the metal.
”I later ran to meet my supervisor to come to my aid. I was unable to find my supervisor. But I later got my head guard to report my situation. On getting there, my head guard called the Banex police.
“I was slapped and kicked again by Mr Umar, policeman.”
Mr Sargwak said Mr Umar called the policemen and State Security Service (SSS) operatives attached to him as security details from home and waited for them to arrive.
He said on the arrival of the security details, a policeman among them also slapped him “on the order of Mr Umar”.
