At least five persons have been reported dead and 57 others arrested following a rival clash between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) earlier yesterday in Kano State.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence (NSDC), Kano Command revealed, adding a number of vehicles were destroyed.
The Command, through its head of operations, DCC Faruk Nuhu, said the agency in an operation alongside other security agencies calmed the riot scene.
“I cannot tell you the cumulative number of the suspects arrested but what we have now is fifty-seven (57) and this is a mop-up, the main arrest can be confirmed by the police.
“Actually, a lot of vehicles were vandalised … and the report I got from my personnel that between 5-7persons lost their lives and a lot of vehicles were vandalised which I cannot ascertain the number now,” Nuhu said in an interview.
He added: “They were arrested this afternoon along Zaria road. We arrested these people while trying to hide and our men alongside Nigeria Airforce, Nigerian Army and the Police were able to enter the compound and arrested them with different kinds of weapons and charms such as knives, cutlasses, sticks etc.
“The first set that we arrested were taken to Bompai and after this interview, we are going to take these suspects too there because we believed that they have committed electoral offence/violence that is why we are handing them over to the police for proper prosecution.”
Some of the suspects, Sani Isah, 49 and Rabi’u Ibrahim, 17, said that they were called by Kabo and Karaye LGAs to come for a political rally in Kano.
Spokesperson for the Kano State Police command Abdullahi Kiyawa was not available for comment. Neither did he respond to WikkiTimes’ call nor a text sent to him at press time.
