“Suspected hired thugs, using dane guns, opened fire on the convoy of the Bauchi State governorship candidate of APC, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, in Duguri the birthplace of the incumbent Bauchi state, Sen. Bala Mohammed.
“According to eyewitnesses, 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 succeeded in recovering two dane guns from the thugs while others escaped with their own guns,” Barau said
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Police Command, Ahmed Wakil, who confirmed the incident however, said there was no record of any death pointing out that only 14 people sustained various degrees of injuries.
He said, “Today (Wednesday), APC governorship candidate went out on a rally at about 17.4500hrs, 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 Center in Duguri, where they were treated and discharged.
“Among the eight that were treated and discharged, was 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 Center in Duguri.
“Eight others 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.
“Among those attacked were part of the personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps attached to His Excellency’s entourage. But their details were not yet made available to us. Furthermore, two Sharon Galaxy buses were damaged.”
Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, said that the state Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan, immediately instructed the Area Commander Metro and the Divisional Police Officers of Mainamaji and Alkaleri to begin an inquiry after the Command got the distress call.
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 have knowledge about any of them that are 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.”
He urged the people to be calm since the situation was under control. He pledged that the Command would leave no stone unturned in dealing with anybody who attempted to undermine the state’s current tranquility.
