Former Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State has denied assaulting an airport official last Saturday at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.

In a statement, his media consultant, Mayowa Oluwabiyi, said;

“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.”

“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.”

For those who don’t know, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had on Wednesday in a series of tweets, condemned Yari’s action for violating COVID-19 directive at the airport.

FAAN further alleged that Yari 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 Yari’s luggage must be disinfected.