A 55-year-old Nigerian businessman, Williams Raymond, has denied assaulting a lawyer, Ajiki John Boluwaji.
He also dismissed the claim of illegally detaining one of the workers, Lekan Adewole, over the disappearance of his 17-year-old son, Adam, about two weeks ago.
The development comes as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gwagwalada Branch, accused Raymond of sponsoring assailants to beat up the lawyer when he went to serve him a demand letter over the alleged unlawful detention of his client, Adewole.
But Raymond, in a statement to journalists on Wednesday, queried the report, claiming that it was Boluwaji who came to his office at Apo Market Junction, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and hauled insults at him when he insisted that his lawyer must go through the demand letter before honouring it or appending his signature.
According to the embattled father, the lawyer, who was shabbily dressed, assaulted a shop owner, Itoro Dominic Robert, who came to intervene when the verbal exchange took a dangerous twist.
Also, he clarified that the lawyer’s phone was not seized, nor was he prevented from calling for help.
“He was not looking like a lawyer. In fact, he wore slippers.
“I said all these things are false.’ I will not sign. I will wait for my lawyer to advise me accordingly.’ He became unruly. He spoke to me as if I were his child. He also called me unprintable names. I do not know his motives.
“The person who assaulted the lawyer has been detained. He was a passerby,” he said.
