Code of Conduct Tribunal Chairman Liable To Five-Year Jail Term Over 'Biafran Boys' Comment — Falana Declares

Femi Falana

Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has said the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Chairman, Danladi Umar, risk a five-year jail term for using "Biafran boys" to describe the traders he had an altercation with when he assaulted a security guard at Banex Plaza in Abuja.

Umar was caught on video punching a security guard following a disagreement on the plaza's parking space.

The CCT Spokesperson, Ibraheem Al-Hassan, had in a statement said the guard threatened Umar, while some "Biafran boys" also harassed him.

Hassan later said it was Umar who asked him to use "Biafran boys" in the statement.

In a statement on Saturday, Falana said the phrase amounted to xenophobia which contravened the cybercrime law.

Falana said section 26 of the Cybercrimes Act 2015, prohibits the use of "racist or xenophobic material" in any written or printed material.

He added that such a person was liable to be prosecuted for the serious offence and penalty for the offence is five year's imprisonment and a minimum N10 million fine."

The statement read, "The use of the words "Biafra Boys" in the statement (produced through a computer system or network) on the instructions of the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and distributed to the media last week constitutes a contravention of section 26 of the Cybercrimes Act 2015.

"The Act prohibits the use of "racist or xenophobic material" in any written or printed material which advocates, promotes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence, against any individual group of individuals, based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, as well as a religion if used as a pretext for any of these factors.

"The person alleged to have suggested the use of the xenophobic words is liable to be prosecuted for the serious offence. The penalty for the offence is five year's imprisonment and a minimum N10 million fine."