The immediate past governor of Kano state, Malam
Ibrahim Shekarau, escaped being lynched by a mob yesterday when his
motorcade was attacked in Garko, the headquarters of Garko local
government area of the state.
An Islamic centre, built by Shekarau when he was governor, and ANPP offices in the town were burnt during the attack.
Shekarau, who was together with several other leaders
of the All Nigeria Party (ANPP), had led top chieftains of his
political party and thousands of their supporters to Garko town for a
campaign rally for the February 2 bye-election into two vacant seats in
the state House of Assembly.
In the convoy of the former governor, who is also the
Sardaunan Kano, were Hon. Kawu Sumaila, Alhaji Salisu Sagir Takai,
Senator Kabiru Gaya, Alhaji Ghali Sadik, and thousands of women
supporters of ANPP from Kano and Garko.
An eye witness told Blueprint that on
Monday, when leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) went
to Gaya town, a stronghold of the opposition ANPP, they were ambushed,
several of their vehicles were destroyed and their party offices and
several houses of their supporters were destroyed or burnt.
What happened in Garko, a stronghold of the PDP, is regarded by pundits in Kano as a reprisal attack.
The former governor later invited reporters to his
house in Kano to brief them over the incident, but after he held a
meeting with the state commissioner of police he cancelled the briefing
and postponed it to 12:00 noon today.
Some ANPP chieftains warned that if the state police
command did not provide adequate security on Saturday, then the
by-election is going to be bloody, as tension is already high in Garko
and Gaya.
It would be recalled that members of the state House
of Assembly representing Gaya and Garko, Danladi Kademi and Abba Garko
respectively, were killed recently by unknown gunmen.
This is also coming on the heels of an attack on the
convoy of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, in which six people were
killed and several others injured.
Blueprint
No comments:
Post a Comment