Elder statesman and spokesman of the Northern Elders’ Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, on Wednesday morning in Bauchi narrowly escaped being killed as soldiers opened fire on his official car in which he was travelling in as of the time of the attack.
The former vice chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the Nigerian Tribune gathered, was on his way to the Bauchi State University in Gadau, the headquarters of Itas/Gadau Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
Only last month, a professor of Agronomy and the Director of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Prof. Ahmad Mustapha Falaki, was allegedly shot and killed by men of the Nigeria Police in Kano State, prompting the Academic Staff Union of Universities threatening to sue the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abbah, over the brutal killing of the professor.
Narrating his ordeal to newsmen, a traumatised Prof. Abdullahi said he was on his way to the university, where he was the chairman of its governing council on an official assignment.
According to him, his driver overtook a convoy of military men, who were moving slowly, saying they later attacked his car.
He said: “It was in the morning, as I was travelling in my official car with my driver. I was going to Gadau for a meeting. We had just passed the Awala Hotel roundabout when I saw a military convoy moving very slowly.
“I was trying to catch up for the meeting, so my driver overtook the military convoy. The next thing I knew was that they opened fire on us, with bullets sprayed all over the car.
“The bullets damaged the engine of the car; damaged the car to the extent that we had to park by the road-side. The soldiers came out and were shouting angrily at us.
“They were demanding to know why we wanted to overtake them, asking if we didn’t know that they were transporting sensitive materials.”
Abdullahi lamented that despite what happened, the soldiers left him stranded, adding that he had to report what happened to the Bauchi State Commissioner for Education, who also was overseeing the Ministry of Higher Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu Mohammed.
He added that he had never seen such reckless act all his life.
He added: “That is how they just left us there. I have never seen such a reckless act. I called the Commissioner for Higher Education and told him.
“He called the security agency chiefs to inform them of what happened.”
The former vice chancellor informed that following the intervention of the commissioner, the Army later sent a captain, who came and apologised for what happened, promising to investigate the unit the soldiers came from.
He said: “The army later sent one captain who apologised and promised to investigate and know from which unit the soldiers were from.”
Meanwhile, the commissioner confirmed the attack on Abdullahi, expressing happiness at the quick response of the service chiefs he contacted.
Mohammed said: “They all apologised to the professor and he was happy at their response, but he was traumatised because his driver said a bullet nearly caught the professor because the bullet penetrated the door where he sat.
“The car was riddled with bullets; thank God no one was hurt, but the car was badly destroyed.”
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