Mr. Paul Bassey, Special Assistant on Media to a former Minister of Transport, Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni (retd.), has accused Mr. Lawson Tekena of slapping one of Porbeni’s workers when he was accosted by naval ratings for wrong parking of his car.



Tekena was said to have been brutalised for making a U-turn in front of Porbeni’s house when some security aides of the retired naval chief gave him the beating of his life.



But Bassey, in an electronic mail sent to our correspondent on Tuesday said Tekena’s account that he was only trying to make a U-turn in front of Porbeni’s house was misleading.



The ex-minister’s aide insisted that Tekena parked his car in front of Porbeni’s house, blocked the entrance gate and left the vicinity.



Bassey said, “As a disciplined and responsible retired naval officer, Admiral Porbeni in his usual characteristic does not condone any act of lawlessness, and therefore could not have allowed his security details to brutalise a harmless and innocent civilian.



“Porbeni’s men are not brutes. They understand the principles he (Porbeni) stands for and cannot carry out acts that are clearly contrary to those principles. The Admiral is so simple and civil that even the navy sentries in his house are always in mufti.



“When the civilian security staff of the Admiral discovered that a strange car parked right in front of the gate, they made desperate efforts to ‘fish out’ the owner.



“When Tekena was found, he was politely asked to remove his car, a request he bluntly rebuffed. When an argument ensued, he was said to have slapped one of the Admiral’s member of staff.”



Bassey said due to the security situation in the Niger Delta and the recurring bomb blasts in the country, it was necessary for one to be security conscious.



He said, “That (security situation) should put every right-thinking person on red alert. Because of his (Tekena’s) refusal to remove the car, the security operatives felt that a bomb might have been planted in it and they forced him to enter the car.



“The naval ratings in this case were as civil as possible but Mr. Tekena acted like a criminal.”



But Tekena faulted the ex-minister’s aide’s claim, saying Bassey’s position was an afterthought.



The brutalised man demanded an apology from the Nigerian Navy and Porbeni, warning that if this was not done within 10 days, he would sue Porbeni and the Nigerian Navy.



Tekena said, “I am a graduate of the University of Wales. I am not a tout and I will not slap a military man. It is a blatant lie that I parked my car and left the vicinity because as at the time they stopped me and began to assault me, my car engine was still running.



“It is surprising that in all this, they have not thought of apologising to me. With the way they are going about it, it means that they have not repented. It is unfortunate that they are lying against me.”



He vowed to go the extra mile to get justice, adding that since Porbeni’s aides had resorted to lying, he might have no option but to take the matter to court.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010281531931

Bassey, do have the decency to at least add an apology as an addendum to your tissue of lies. No right thinking Nigerian, not even a tout as suggested would slap a military man in Nigeria because we all know what the end will be in that case. Shame on you and a bigger shame on Admiral Porbeni for not even making a call to Tekena, regardless of the lies you and his aides told him.

He said, “That (security situation) should put every right-thinking person on red alert. Because of his (Tekena’s) refusal to remove the car, the security operatives felt that a bomb might have been planted in it and they forced him to enter the car

The naval ratings in this case were as civil as possible but Mr. Tekena acted like a criminal.

Even, If the guy has slapped a Military man.

The Naval rating should have reported to the Police , that he was publicly assaulted and NOT take laws into their own Hands.

Bassey u ar a fool,sychophant,at ur age u stil tel lies,but i dont blame you,that is what u are pay to do,

Why did it take them so long to come up with this fairytale?