Protest As Thugs Kill One Person in Kaduna By-election

John Shiklam in Kaduna

One person was reportedly shot dead by a stray bullet when armed thugs invaded Rigachikun ward, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State during Saturday’s re-run election in the area.

The deceased, who was identified as Mansur Shafiu, was in his shop and said to have been hit by a stray bullet when the hoodlums started shooting indiscriminately to scare people away.

Eyewitnesses said the victim was rushed to the hospital where he died.

The killing of Shafiu led to protests Sunday morning by angry youths in the area who barricaded the Kaduna – Zaria highway, causing gridlock.

Many commuters plying the highway were stranded following the blockade.

It took the intervention of soldiers and other security personnel to clear the road.

Confirming the incident, Masir Hassan, spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, said some thugs who snatched election materials at the Tsohon Garin Rigachikun polling unit, were responsible for the shooting of the victim, who was about 40 years old.

He said the thugs shot the victim in the leg, after which he was rushed to the hospital where he died from gunshot injuries.

Meanwhile, the winner of the Igabi federal constituency in the re-run election, Hussaini Jallo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has condemned the killing and vowed to ensure justice for the deceased.

In a statement on Sunday, Jallo said the deceased was his supporter, adding that: “We will surely not allow this act of barbarism to go unpunished.

“We will engage the Nigeria Police Force to launch an immediate full-scale investigation with a view to fishing out the perpetrator of this killing and the deliberate attacks meted out to voters during our re-run election that led to the snatching of ballot boxes in Rigachikun, Unguwar Yelwa Birinin Yero, Kwarau, Mando, and Joga by hired thugs to face justice.”