The Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Industry in Nasarawa State, Mohammed Sani Ottos has denied that he was humiliated on Eid-el-Fitr ground in his country home, Onda by worshippers, saying the report published in some media outlets were fabricated to embarrass him.
He condemned the media reports, explaining that as a political appointee, he has not done anything to warrant any mob attack on him, insisting that he was never harassed or whisked away from the prayer ground as claimed.
In a statement he sent to DAILY POST on Thursday by his Media Aide, Abdulrahman Akaki, the Commissioner described the report as “politically motivated falsehoods”; lacking facts that should not be published in some respected media outlets.
He said the purported report tried to hype a “selectively edited”; video circulated on social media to fabricate a narrative of public disgrace, asserting instead that Ottos acted as a peacemaker during a dispute over a chieftaincy stool.
The statement pointed out that it was the longstanding chieftaincy tussle between two community leaders, His Royal Highness Alhaji Abdullahi Kuku (Osu Onda) and Alhaji Usman Ode, a revered elder that erupted which he waded in to ensure peace.
“Upon my arrival at the prayer ground, I immediately intervened to mediate and ensure peace to stop escalation of the crisis which I succeeded till after the prayer was observed.
According to the statement, the Commissioner’s departure from the scene was mischaracterized, even as he was never in danger for any reasons, though Otto’s weeping during the prayers was borne out of empathy for the disunity in the community and not because he was humiliated.
“As a leader deeply invested in his community’s unity, he was moved by the sight of brothers in conflict,”; the statement added.
In rebutting claims of “consistent hostility”; toward Ottos, the statement highlighted that the Osu Onda later led a delegation to the Commissioner’s residence in Koba to thank him for averting potential violence.
The visit, it said, solidified local recognition of Ottos as a God-sent peacemaker, countering allegations of unpopularity.
