Umar Babagana Zulum, son of Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, has vehemently denied allegations of murdering a Chinese citizen in an Indian nightclub.
In a brief video statement released on Thursday, Umar dismissed the accusations as baseless attempts to tarnish his father’s reputation.
News About Nigeria gathered that the controversy began with social media reports claiming that Umar, a university student in New Delhi, had assaulted a Chinese national with a bottle over a romantic dispute in a nightclub.
These reports suggested that the incident led to the victim’s death.
However, the Borno State government, through a statement by Abdurrahman Bundi, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor Zulum on New Media, denied the allegations.
The statement, issued on Wednesday, warned of potential legal action against those spreading the defamatory news.
“None of the governor’s sons was either arrested or charged with any crime, or involved in any unlawful activities anywhere,” Bundi said.
He also urged the public to exercise caution when consuming and sharing information on social media.
In a viral video, Umar addressed the allegations, describing them as false.
He recorded the video from the Government House in Maiduguri, indicating that he was neither in detention nor in India.
“Dear esteemed Nigerians, I am Umar Babagana Umara Zulum. I am here to address damaging falsehoods made against me,” he stated.
“It has come to my notice, a baseless gossip accusation against me saying that I killed someone at a nightclub. This is not true. They want to tarnish my father’s name. I have been with my family for two months now, right in Maiduguri.”