One killed, 14 injured in Bauchi governor’s hometown during APC campaign rally

Less than 24 hours after signing peace accord by political parties vying for elective offices in Bauchi State, one person has been confirmed killed and 14 others injured in politically motivated violence that broke out in Duguri, Alkaleri Local Government Area  of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state Command, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ahmed Wakil, told journalists that violence broke out  when  the All Progressives  Congress (APC)  gubernatorial candidate, Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar (rtd) went out on a rally at about 5:45 pm in Duguri Village, under Yuli-Yin Ward, Alkaleri Local Government Area.

“Violence ensued during the rally in which 14 people were injured. Among the 14 injured, six were taken to Primary Health Care Center in Duguri, they were treated and discharged.

“Among the eight that were treated and discharged, was Suleiman Adamu, Danlami Musa, Kabiru Sani, Rabi, Abdulrasheed Bala and Tanko Wakilin Pawa, all residents of Duguri Village. These are the six that were taken to the Health Care Center in Duguri.

“Eight others were seriously injured, they were referred to the General Hospital, Alkaleri. 

“Because of the severity of the injuries, the doctor could only attend to one Mohammed Abdullahi, who is also a resident of that Duguri. 

“The other seven were transferred from the General Hospital Alkaleri to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for medical treatment”

The PPRO disclosed that among those attacked were part of the personnel and those on the entourage attached to His the APC Guber candidate 

“Some of them were Civil Defense Corp Members but their details were not yet made available to us. Furthermore, two Sharon Galaxy buses were damaged,” the PPRO said.

“Immediately the Command received the distress call, the Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Command, CP Aminu Alhassan, directed the Area Commander Metro and the DPO Mainamaji and the DPO Alkaleri to commence investigation in earnest.

“The Command is calling on members of the public to be calm as the situation is under control. However, the Command will not leave any stone unturned to deal with any recalcitrant that will want to disrupt the peace that Bauchi State is enjoying presently.

“All of them were taken to the hospital by the Police and up to this moment that I am giving you this report, none of them had died”

Reacting to the development, the Director General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)  Campaign Council, Honourable Farouk Mustapha, disclosed that 15  persons were injured in the attack.

Mustapha who condemned the attack,  alleged that  it  was carried our by thugs of the APC  Gubernatorial campaign directorate.

He said one PDP supporter was killed in the attack, decrying it as  one too many.

The DG called on the the security agencies in the state to arrest the perpetrators of the dastard act that led to the alleged death of  Mallam Maianguwa Shata of Duguri village and many with various degrees of injuries.

Mustapha said it was curious that the campaign trail of the APC Gubernatorial candidate was in Duguri Village, the home town of the sitting Governor and candidate of the state ruling PDP, Governor Bala Mohammed.

He accused the APC of allegedly engaging the supporters of Governor n a fracas leading to the death of one person, scores of injured members of the community and destruction of all PDP billboards and offices in the village.

 “In all our campaigns, we have never killed even a chicken. Our Governor has always been a proponent of peace and politics without bitterness. That was why he was in vanguard of signing the peace accord organized by the police command of which the APC gubernatorial candidate failed to show up,” he said 

Mustapha recalled that the same ugly incident happened in Toro Local Government and Akuyam village of Misau Local Government Area, where  three people were shot death by the security personnel of Abubakar when the Gubernatorial candidate of the APC went on campaign tour.

The DG then called on the ministry of defense to check the flagrant abuse of using conventional security personnel and firearms in the name of providing security to retired members of the armed forces.

In their own account, the APC camp alleged that PDP thugs opened fire on their campaign trail in Duguri.

“Suspected hired thugs, using dane guns , opened fire on the convoy of the Bauchi state gubernatorial candidate of APC, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubukar, in Duguri the birth place of the incumbent Bauchi state, Sen. Bala Mohammed,” a release signed by  Salisu A. Barau, the Director, Media and Publicity of the APC stated

Barau explained that eye witnesses accounts said they heard sounds of sporadic shootings  around the premises where campaign rally was being held.

He said the  development made the security operatives at the venue to rush to the scene of the shootings where, in an attempt to disarm the thugs and retrieve the guns from them, three people were shot.

Among the casualties were one Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps;  a member of the local vigilance group and one from the hunters union,he said.

“However, the NSCDC operatives succeeded in recovering two dane guns from the thugs while others escaped with their own guns,” he said.

“The victims who sustained gunshot injuries are currently receiving medical attention at ATBU Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

“It will be recalled that the same pattern of attacks, suspected to be sponsored, were carried out on Air Marshal Sadique’s convoy last month in Akuyam, the home village of the state chairman of PDP.”