Former Vice President and 2023 presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, ordered his security details chase out journalists covering a meeting he had with party delegates when he visited Jos, Plateau State, as part of his consultations towards his ambition.
According to the Chairman of Plateau State Online Media Publishers, Friday Bako, who spoke to Ripples Nigeria on the incident, “Atiku who was apparently angry over the way journalists called him out on his disgraceful handling of the Deborah Samuel lynching saga where he chickened out and deleted a tweet he earlier made because of threats from some Muslim youths, ordered journalists to be beaten and chased out of PDP secretariat in Jos.”
He said that “Atiku arrived at the secretariat at about 2.19pm while journalists had been there since 10am which was the official time announced for the meeting. But when he came, he was visibly angry and ordered the reporters out of the hall.
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“He was shouting at the top of his voice: ‘I have nothing to do with you journalists. I don’t need you. I’m here to see delegates. When he saw that the journalists were not willing to leave, he ordered his security details and aides to chase the newsmen out of the hall.
“His aides and security details immediately pounced on the journalists, beat them up and seized their equipment. In the stampede, the camera and tripod of the Channels Television crew were damaged in the process.
“It was such a surprise and disappointing scenario to see a presidential aspirant who wants to rule Nigeria behaving in such a manner.
“Even the pleas of the State PDP Chairman and other top party members could not persuade Atiku to call his men to order as he was bent on carrying out his threats,” Bako said.