Abdullateef Abdullahi reports
The PEN PRESS outfit published a report on Saturday with the claim that Hammed Yusuf Akinteye popularly known as Broda Shagi has nothing less than ten cases and reports of violence in the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto’s security custody.
Hammed Yusuf Akinteye( Broda Shagi) is one of the contestants for the office of the Welfare Director in the just concluded Students Union election for the 2022/2023 academic session.
The report, attributed to the head of the Hostel Security Unit, Mallam Galadima Ibrahim, claimed that Broda Shagi has nothing less than ten cases and reports of violence in the Usmanu Danfodiyo University security custody.
This is coming barely after the Students Unions Electoral Committee(ELCOM)
had declared the election of the Welfare director inconclusive on Thursday, 8th June.
“The head of the hostel security unit, Mallam Galadima Ibrahim, explained that, “One of the contestants for the post of Welfare Director, with the name ‘Hammed Yusuf Akinteye, popularly known as Broda Shaggi’ has nothing less than ten cases and reports of violence in our custody. And due to this reason, a person with all these violent cases is not appreciated to be a students representative in any students’ union office,”the report reads in part.
“The decision will be made by the school management in a favor to enhance the peace within the varsity’s soil and also for the protection of other students and the precious name of the university at large. Usmanu Danfodiyo university is known as the most peaceful university in west Africa and a person with violence attitude will not be a representative of the school in any way.”
In an interview with the claimed Head of Hostel Security Unit, Mallam Galadima Ibraheem, disregarded the claim attributed to him by the PEN PRESS that Broda Shagi has nothing less than ten cases and reports of violence in their custody.
He said he is not in the best position to state the security records of any students, and as such never made any claim on Shaggi’s security records.
“I didn’t tell any journalist that Broda Shagi is having nothing less than ten cases in our custody. I am not the one that established this because I don’t know where the case is coming from.They are lying against me,” he disclaimed.
“Anybody that wants to have the security records of any students, should go to step B.”
Meanwhile, speaking with the reporter of Pen Press, he failed to produce any evidence as to his interview with Mallam Galadima Ibraheem on the subject.
He only made it known that he went to the security unit to interview Mallam Galadima on a different subject, then during the course of the interview, he claimed that the security officer mentioned the case of Broda Shagi.
He could not authoritatively defend his claim as it relates to the interview with Mallam Galadima Ibraheem.
However, while speaking with the Editor-In-Chief of PEN PRESS, Muthadir Hayatullah Abu Lubaba,he claimed that the reporter can’t ascribe any false or additional statement to the interviewee’s words.
“According to the report from my reporter, the man said so, and the comment was ascribed to him. Our reporter can’t quote what’s not said to him. If the man can now deny saying such to the journalist, after denying him from putting him on record during the interview, we are disappointed in him,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking with Broda Shagi, he said he is perplexed with the PEN PRESS report and the publication needs to be questioned.
“How can you publish a report that I have ten cases of violence without listing them out? Aside from this SU election, I am the hall governor of block F, Jubril Aminu hostel of which I underwent a thorough screening without any attribute of case of violence before the appointment. I am also the Deputy Chairman welfare committee MSSN, UDUS.
“ If it is true that I have nothing less than ten cases and reports of violence in the security custody as claimed by PEN PRESS if not a blatant lie, why was I not screened out during the ELCOM screening?.
Shagi, in his words added that he was surprised when the ELCOM committee gave him another form to fill during the time of collation that his form got missing.
“ I was given another form to fill after I had learnt that my form got missing when the collation of election results was going on. I still don’t know why only my form got missing,” he said.