One Killed, Scores Injured As PDP, APC Thugs Clash In Bauchi – Police React

There was unrest in Bauchi State yesterday after thugs from a political party reportedly attacked members of the opposition party and innocent citizens.

Reports obtained by Naija News revealed that one person was killed while at least fifteen others were injured during the incident, which happened in Duguri, a town in the Alkaleri Local Government Area of the State.

It was gathered that the chaos started after the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, visited the area for a rush-hour campaign.

PDP Blames APC For Attack

Reacting, the Bauchi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accused the APC camp of unleashing thugs on its members and innocent residents during the electioneering activity on Wednesday.

Speaking on the incident, the State PDP Campaign Council Director General, Farouk Mustapha, alleged that APC thugs invaded Duguri on Wednesday and attacked its members.

He lamented the frequent attacks on members of the PDP in the state, which he said has become a source of concern for the people. “Today is one of the saddest days in the political history of Bauchi State; all of the gubernatorial candidates of the various parties signed the peace accord at the State Police Command headquarters with all security agencies as it has been the practice in every election year.”

“However, the candidate of the APC, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar rtd was conspicuously absent, only his Deputy candidate was in attendance, showing no respect for peace and harmony to reign in Bauchi state.

“To our dismay, while all the candidates were busy signing the peace accord, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar embarked on a last rush campaign tour to Duguri Town, the hometown of Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, the sitting Governor and the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the forthcoming governorship elections.”

“Shockingly, the APC gubernatorial candidate moved into Duguri with thousands of political thugs, as well as conventional and noncommercial security outfits who were well armed to the brink,” Mustapha told Journalists at the Press Center of the Government House late Wednesday night.

“As usual by his antecedents, considering what happened in his last campaign outings in Akuyam, Misau LGA and Toro, Toro LGA where they shot to death 3 people with no any investigation and action to bring the perpetrators to book.”

“The APC gang leaders who led today’s thuggery unleashed terror and intimidation on the people of Duguri Town; they were chanting abusive words and breaking all PDP billboards carrying His Excellency’s pictures, buses, PDP offices and Keke NAPEP were all burnt down by the thugs. This barbaric act which was resisted by the good people of Duguri led the thugs and even the security personnel to open fire on unarmed and innocent people of Duguri,” the Independent quoted the politician as saying.

He stressed that the thugs left several people injured with various degrees of injuries, killing one Mal Maiunguwa Shata and also allegedly macheted 15 others who, according to him, are been attended to at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi (ATBUTH).

Mustapha urged members of the PDP across the state who are peace lovers to restrain from embarking on reprisal. He noted that the governorship campaign council is doing everything legally possible to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.

“Therefore, the Council is calling on the Police and DSS to investigate and arrest the culprits and bring them to prosecution.

”The Council is also calling on the Military and Police, especially the Ministry of Defence, to end the use of their personnel illegally unleashing terror on the people of Bauchi State all in the name of seeking for the exalted office of the Governor of Bauchi State by the APC gubernatorial candidate in the forthcoming election,” he said.

Our Candidate Was Attacked By Armed Carrying Thugs – APC Replies

APC, however, has reacted to the allegations against its party by the PDP camp, saying its governorship was rather the one attacked in the said town.

APC in a statement signed and issued by its Director, Media and Publicity in the state, Salisu A Barau, said some suspected hired thugs, using dane guns, opened fire on the convoy of the Bauchi state gubernatorial candidate of APC, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, in Duguri, the birthplace of the incumbent Bauchi state Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed.

Barau claimed eyewitnesses revealed to them that sounds of sporadic shootings were heard around the premises where the campaign lecture was being held, which made the security operatives at the venue 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: one Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; one from a vigilance group and one from the hunters union.

“However, the NSCDC operatives recovered two dane guns from the thugs while others escaped with their own guns. The victims who sustained gunshot injuries are receiving medical attention at ATBU Teaching Hospital, Bauchi,” Barau explained.

He 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.

Police Reaction To The Chaos

When contacted on the incident, Bauchi State Police Command PPRO, SP Ahmed Wakili, told reporters that security personnel were among those affected by the attack.

“Today, APC gubernatorial candidate went out on a rally at about 17.45hrs, while 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,” The Independent quoted the police mouthpiece saying.

Wakili explained further that among the eight that were treated and discharged were 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 according to him, 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 remaining seven were transferred from the General Hospital Alkaleri to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for medical treatment,” Wakil said.

He noted that the attacked security men were part of the entourage attached to His Excellency’s staff. Some of them were Civil Defense Corp Members, but their details were not yet made available to the command yet, he said.

He disclosed that two Sharon Galaxy buses were damaged. “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 an 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,” Wakil noted.

Asked to react to allegations that two people were killed in the incident, he said: “I have mentioned all that was here, I mentioned six first that were injured, and I have mentioned eight that were transferred out of which one is in Duguri. I don’t know any one of them that is dead. 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 has died.”