At least one person was killed while several others sustained injuries following violent clashes that erupted at the venue of a rally by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kano.
Local sources and police confirmed to Daily Trust that the clash broke out at Rano Township Stadium and spilled into the town late Saturday when Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje went to inaugurate the party executives for Kano South Senatorial District.
The free-for-all was said to have been between supporters of the state’s Commissioner of Local Government Affairs, Murtala Sule Garo, a strong ally of the state governor, and supporters of Kabiru Rurum, a federal lawmaker representing Rano, Kibiya and Bunkure federal constituency.
Rurum is also a former Speaker of the state assembly. Both men are believed to be nursing governorship ambition.
While some of the sources said four persons were feared dead in the clash, he police said they were only able to confirm the death of one person.
Spokesman of the police command, SP Haruna Abdullahi Kiyawa, who confirmed the incident to Daily Trust on Tuesday, said policemen mobilised to the scene rescued some of those attacked and rushed them to the hospital.
“On March 5 at about 4:30pm, we received information of a political clash at a political gathering in Rano Township Stadium, Rano, Rano LGA of Kano state were two people were injured. We rushed the victims to Rano General Hospital were a medical doctor confirmed one dead by name Hamisu Sani, 20 years old of Garko, Bunkure LGA whereas one Mamuda Isyaku, 38 years old of Garo village, Kabo LGA was admitted at the hospital and later transferred to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for further treatment,” he said.
Kiyawa added that “investigation into this ugly incident has commenced and so far we have received information on the culprits and they will be arrested.”
Police sources further told Daily Trust that the culprits have been identified by witnesses but detectives detailed to arrest them found that they have all relocated to new locations.
