The Police in Kano have reportedly shot sporadically and killed many people including a five-year old girl on Saturday in Kano, witnesses said.
Youths in Kurna, Rijiyar Lemo and Bachira areas of Dala local government area have defied the existing curfew and hit the street in continuation of #endbadgovernance protest in Nigeria propelled by hunger and harsh economic condition.
WikkiTimes reports that Kano governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, had earlier on Thursday evening imposed a curfew in Kano metropolitan LGAs after the protest turned to violent where properties were damaged and looted.
Prior to Dala LGA, youths in Sharada of Kano Municipal and Tudun Wada of Nasarawa LGA have also defied the curfew and protested again on Saturday morning.
However, on Saturday evening some youths from Kurna, Rijiyar Lemo and Bachirawa quarters, went spiritual by offering a prayer to seek divine intervention to the situation.
“After the prayers, people started to troop to the streets in a peaceful manner holding leaves in their hands,’’ said an eyewitness Musa Aliyu.
Another resident who identified as simply Yusuf said some criminals attempted to break into shops around the area, but police attempted to avert the incident and enforce the existing curfew.
Aliyu said the police arrived in numbers and started dispersing the youths forcefully which led to throwing stones at the police.
“That is when the police began to beat people mercilessly and shot at many. I had to run for my life,” he said.
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WikkiTimes gathered that the police bullets have hit about ten people including a five-year old girl and four women.
“The shot anyhow and at every angle leading to many casualties. I think it is tomorrow Sunday that we can be sure of the number of the people killed but they are certainly many, ‘’ Sadiq Baba of Kurna Layin Masallaci.
A resident at Kurna told “About six victims including females and children were rushed to hospital close to our mosque, with bullet wounds, unfortunately, two of them died this evening around 7.30 pm.”
Another resident said some of the victims were rushed to a nearby Salamatu hospital for attention.
WikkiTimes gathered that other people were shot around Kunya Chemists, Kurna Tudun Bojuwa and Rijiyar Lemo areas.
“Just now we are here mourning our grandmother the police have shot my brother Aliyu. He is now dead,” a Facebooker, Aiha K Nass posted Saturday evening.
Shortly after, another Facebooker, Omar Khalid Saleh updated “The police in Kano are turning the peaceful protest into something else, Why the shooting and killings. You’re inviting trouble tbh. They just shoot this teenager and die instantly (sic) at Kofar Nasarawa Kano metropolis. #EndBadGovernancelnNigeria #EndPoliceBrutality.”
Several attempts to reach police spokesman in Kano, Abdullahi Kiyawa, for their reaction remained futile.
Mr. Kiyawa however, in a Facebook post on Saturday evening said “regarding what happened in Kurna and Rijiyar Lemo on 03/08/2024, we are gathering information and doing an investigation, God willing. We thank those that furnish us with information.”
