Assault saga: Activists threaten to sue police over failure to prosecute CCT chairman

The Access to Justice (A2Justice) has threatened to sue the police over failure to prosecute Danladi Umar, chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), for alleged abuse of power.

In a letter to Bala Ciroma, commissioner for police in the federal capital territory (FCT), the activists gave the police seven days to arrest and charge Umar to court for allegedly assaulting a security man at a popular plaza in Abuja.

Umar was caught on video hitting the guard who had told him his vehicle was parked in the wrong space when he visited the plaza.

In his defence, Ibraheem Al-Hassan, CCT spokesperson, had said the guard was rude and could not provide a reasonable explanation why Umar should not park in the said space.

In the letter dated April 14, ‘Deji Ajare, A2Justice deputy director, said Umar should be prosecuted for assault, violence against the person and abuse of office.

“A2Justice, alongside many other concerned persons, cannot rationalize the failure of the FCT Police to arrest and prosecute Mr. Danladi Umar for assault, acts of violence and abuse of office, while the police, virtually on a daily basis, arrests and charges others to court for those types of crimes, particularly given the fact that the unrefuted nature of the evidence against Danladi Umar is credible, graphic, strong, accessible and available,” the letter read.

“Danladi Umar’s conduct alongside those of his collaborators, is a criminal one under the provisions of the Penal Code, Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the Anti-Torture Act 2017 and the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015.

“By failing to arrest and charge Mr. Danladi Umar and his collaborators with crimes they are alleged to have committed, the Police Force will be conferring on them privileges and advantages that other persons in Nigeria are not accorded, in contravention of Sec. 42 of Nigeria’s Constitution.

“Following from the foregoing narrative, we are respectfully requesting you to do the following within seven (7) days: 1. Arrest Mr. Danladi Umar alongside the aides who aided him in attacking and assaulting Clement Sargwak and charge them for the offences committed, to wit: assault, violence against the person and abuse of office;

“2. Should you be unwilling to undertake the prosecution of the alleged attackers yourselves under sec. 66 of the Police Act, send the casefile to the appropriate prosecuting Ministry, i.e., the Ministry of Justice for arraignment and prosecution.

“In the event you fail, refuse or neglect to ensure that all Nigerians are equally entitled to the protection of the law by complying with these demands, A2Justice will take out legal proceedings to compel you to undertake the prosecution of Danladi Umar and his collaborators.”