Hell was let loose in Kaduna on
Wednesday as thugs and supporters of a former governor of Jigawa State
and Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential aspirant in the 2019
election, Sule Lamido, clashed.....
No death was recorded but scores of people were said to have sustained varying degrees of injury.
One of Lamido’s supporters had his hand
cut off by the armed thugs when they invaded the Rabah Road in the
metropolis where the former governor was inspecting his campaign office.
Lamido had recently written a letter of
intent to contest the 2019 presidential election under the platform of
the PDP to the party’s National Executive Committee members.
One of those who witnessed the clash,
Muhammed Sarki, told our correspondent that the Lamido supporters were
caught unawares by the thugs, who he described as “political hoodlums.”
“Lamido’s supporters had gathered at his
campaign office and they were being addressed by the politician but I
think what angered the political hoodlums was when Lamido during his
address criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for poor performance,” he
said.
Sarki added that suspected Buhari
supporters later invaded the campaign office and started attacking
Lamido supporters after the presidential aspirant had ended his address.
Our correspondent gathered that this led
to a free-for-all but the hoodlums had an upper hand as four persons
sustained serious injury, while one person had his left arm cut off.
This forced Lamido’s supporters, politicians, passersby and journalists at the venue to flee the area for safety.
Though some top police officers
confirmed the clash, the efforts made to get the official reaction
failed as calls made to the mobile telephone of the state’s Police
Public Relations Officer, ASP Mukhtar Aliyu, ranged out.
Lamido had while addressing his
supporters before the attack, carpeted the Buhari-led All Progressives
Congress’ administration for its poor handling of the nation’s
socio-economic and political affairs.
He noted that because there was no peace in the country, investors seemed to have shunned Nigeria.
Lamido said, “When there is peace in
Nigeria, there will be development and growth; when there is stability,
people can invest; today, there is instability in Nigeria because our
chemistry cannot blend. We are busy maligning one another, dehumanising
one another and abusing one another.
“Nigerian government will mock you if
you complain. If I am wailing, my people will say, ‘Sule what is your
problem?’ This is the only government that people have been mocked for
expressing their opinion. We have been demonised because of our opinion.
We will not succumb because this is our country.
“We shall revive Nigeria. Today, they
have turned Nigeria to a theatre. People have been demonised and mocked.
So, I am telling the youths that the future is yours. I will not
tolerate any youth smoking marijuana, brandishing swords or cutlasses or
any weapons. Today, Nigeria is basically gone because our chemistry is
not blending.”
No comments: