Suspected thugs have k!lled three people in Kano State, triggering outrage and heightening fears over a resurgence of politically motivated thuggery in the state.
According to Daily Trust, the incident occurred shortly after the swearing-in of Murtala Sule Garo as the new Deputy Governor of Kano State at the Government House.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, wearing branded T-shirts and armed with dangerous weapons, descended and trapped their victims inside the Kano Medical Centre (KMC), a private health facility located along Race Course, a road a few meters away from the government house
The victims were identified as Nura Ribadu, 38; Albashir Tukur, 23; and another resident of Dandago, all of whom were said to be peaceful community members.
Viral videos circulating online showed the thugs wielding machetes and clubs as they stormed the facility, leaving two of the victims fatally injured inside.
A witness working near the hospital recounted the horror scene.
“They came out in large numbers from Lodge Road, close to Government House. Vehicles started turning back when they saw them. I was by the roadside trying to record a video when I realised they had trapped someone inside,” she said.
“After the attack, they calmly walked back the way they came. Later, I saw two people being carried away on motorcycles, bleeding heavily. Those were the victims.”
The witness added that police patrol vehicles arrived only after the attackers had left.
The k!llings have left families devastated. Rabiu Muhammad, uncle to Albashir, said his nephew was lured from his shop at Kantin Kwari market to attend the swearing-in ceremony, only to be attacked near Government House.
“He was seriously injured and later k!lled. Nura Ribadu was also attacked at KMC. Both of them were my boys. We are appealing to the KMC hospital management to release CCTV footage to help identify the culprits.
“We suspect Ribadu was targeted because of his influence in politics and his ability to mobilise people, which made politicians from opposing camps envious,” Muhammad said.
He stressed that while the community was angry, they resisted taking the law into their own hands.
“We want the government to do the right thing. We won’t forgive, but we won’t take laws into our hands. Everybody was crying because Ribadu was peaceful,” he added.
Albashir’s paternal grandfather, overwhelmed with grief, also called for justice.
“Making sure justice is served is the only way we can be relieved. The perpetrators should be punished to serve as a deterrence,” he said in tears.
Nasiru Usman, uncle to Ribadu, described the state of his nephew’s body.
“His corpse was brought home covered in blood, with cuts on his abdomen, back, shoulders, everywhere. People advised us to report to the police before burial. We reported to the nearby Mandawari police station, but they turned us down, saying it should be reported to the station where it happened.
“Frustrated, we buried him. He was into politics but was never troublesome. We want authorities to investigate and expose who sponsored this attack,” Usman said.
Also, Ribadu’s maternal grandmother said, “He was very responsible and took care of me. But we have decided to leave everything to God because we don’t expect justice.”
Spokesman for the Kano State Police Command, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa said, denied receiving formal reports of the k!llings.
Spokesman CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa said,
“Police went there after it happened, but the corpses had already been evacuated. Usually, whenever there is a clash of this sort, families quickly bury victims to avoid police investigation,” he said.
“Nobody reported these incidents to us. We saw the videos online and mobilised our personnel there. Those who claimed they reported to Mandawari were supposed to report it where the incident happened, not there. They buried the victims immediately instead of taking them to the mortuary.”