THE Nigerian Senate is considering a petition against Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Danladi Umar over an assault on a security guard in Abuja.
During Plenary on Tuesday, Senator representing Plateau North Istifanus Gyang read the petition before the Senate concerning the assault on a member of his senatorial district, Clement Sargwak.
According to Gyang, the petition was submitted by one Samuel Ihensekhien seeking justice for the victim through the Senate.
After the petition was read by Gyang, Senate President Ahmad Lawan referred the petition to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Privileges.
Lawan further asked the committee to consider and report back to the Senate within four weeks.
The ICIR had reported how Umar assaulted 22-year old Sargwak at Banex Plaza in Wuse 2, Abuja, on March 29.
Sargwak, who is a personnel of Jul Reliable Security Guards, a private outfit, was allegedly manhandled by Umar when he approached the judge for parking his vehicle in an inappropriate manner at the plaza’s parking lot.
In a response to criticism of Umar’s action, the official statement from the CCT said it was the action of some ‘Biafran boys.’
“The boy was rude in his approach and threatened to deal with chairman if he refused to leave the scene,” the CCT spokesperson Ibraheem Al-Hassan had said.
Civil Society Organisations, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and other groups have condemned the alleged assault on Sargwak, stating that the display of ‘naked power’ would not be condoned by people who were expected to exhibit a high standard of conduct.
“Further, as a member of the legal profession, Danladi Yakubu Umar Esq. is expected, by the extant rules that regulate the conduct of legal practitioners in Nigeria, to maintain a high standard of professional conduct, and not to engage in any conduct which is unbecoming of a member of the legal profession,” NBA said in a statement.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94