The Zamfara State Police Command has confirmed the killing of one man with 18 others injured during a clash by members of two youth groups.
The Command made the confirmation on Sunday through its spokesman, SP Muhammad Shehu, via a text message.
In the text message to the News Agency of Nigeria, Shehu said it was a clash between groups suspected to be members of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party.
Shehu, who confirmed that the command had received a report of the killing, said: “Discreet investigation into the case has commenced aimed at ensuring that the perpetrators face the full wrath of the law.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, however, declined further comment on the incident.
The PPRO’s confirmation followed an allegation by the APC that thugs suspected to have been hired by the PDP attacked and killed one man and injured 18 others without reason.
The APC’s allegation was contained in a statement issued by Yusuf Idris, its State Publicity Secretary, in Gusau on Saturday.
Idris said: “It is highly disheartening and worrisome the attack with firearms perpetrated by PDP thugs.
“The thugs came as the PDP Zamfara Governorship candidate’s boys and shot at innocent youths who were carrying out their monthly sanitation work in GRA area of Gusau, the Zamfara state capital.”
He said that victims were attacked because they were APC supporters.
Idris added: “We are calling for calm by the good citizens of the state who were angered by the thugs.
“We wish to call on both the state government and security agents to urgently fish out the culprits and bring them to book to prevent reprisals.”
Idris urged security agencies to also uncover how and where the alleged attackers secured such dangerous firearms.
“A stitch in time, saves nine and a word is always enough for the wise,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state Deputy Governor, Senator Hassan Nasiha, has visited the victims of the attack at the Specialist Hospital, Gusau to ascertain their condition.
Nasiha told newsmen that 18 youths were shot during the attacks.
He confirmed that one life was lost, while 18 others sustained various degrees of bullet wounds.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that three of the victims with serious injuries from gunshots were seen being attended to at the Specialist Hospital.
Nasiha said it was the fear of such breach of law and order that the Zamfara State Government announced a halt on campaign activities and rallies by political parties in the state.
The Deputy Governor, however, said that the state government would investigate the matter and resolve on next line of action.
He assured of government’s resolve to punish whoever was found involved in the attack.
Nasiha condoled with the victims of the incident and promised that the government would not fold its arms and watch it happen again.
Meanwhile the PDP in its response, said that its governorship candidate, Dr. Dauda Lawal-Dare, only had a small meeting to receive defectors from the 14 local government areas of the state.
The party’s Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Murkhtar Lugga, said shortly after the event, where the party received 50 defectors from each of the 14 local government areas, trouble began.
On the issue of halting rallies as announced by the state government, Lugga said PDP’s activity was within the ambit of the law and in line with the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.
According to him, the party was guided by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s guidelines and timetable for rallies and electioneering campaigns.
“We have applied for security and the Commissioner of Police and the Commandant Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps deployed their men that ensured successful activity of our great party,” he said.
Lugga expressed concern at the activities of some criminal elements who allegedly attacked some PDP youths during the event.
He claimed that two of its youths were also reportedly shot in front of the Campaign Office of Dr. Dare in the state capital.
The PDP officials conducted newsmen round the emergency unit of the Specialist Hospital, where two victims with fractured legs and other wounds were also receiving medical attention.
Lugga, however, said the party would investigate the alleged killing of an APC youth and injuring of 18 others and take appropriate action.
The vice chairman said the party was a law-abiding institution, assuring that their activity did not go against the INEC guidelines.
“There was no information from the INEC halting political rallies or political events in Zamfara State,” Lugga said.
