Protest: Bride-To-Be, 4 Teenagers Killed In Zaria, Kano
A would-be bride and four teenagers were said to have been killed by security agents during the #EndBadGovernance protest in Kano and Zaria.
The bride-to-be, Firdausi Muhammad, was reportedly killed by a stray bullet, allegedly from the rifle of a policeman in Rijiyar Lemo, Kano State, during the protest on Saturday. She was to get married next week.
The Kano incidents, according to DailyTrust, happened at Kofar Nassarawa, Kurnar Asabe and Rjiyar Lemo.
According to the report, one of the victims, Abdulkadir Labaran Babah Alfindiki, was allegedly killed at Kofar Nassarawa.
Speaking to the Daily Trust, his mother, Aisha Isah Babah, said: “He left home for his business place. Worried that he didn’t come for his launch, I became uncomfortable. I did not call him nor did I talk to anybody about my worries. Little did I know that he was killed.”
She said she left everything to God as the deceased was an orphan and she cannot fight to get justice for him.
Also, the mother of 15-year-old Kashifu Abdullahi Gyaranya, who was also killed during the protest, Maryam Sani, said: “As he was leaving home, I asked him where he was going to, but he told me that he was going outside to see his friends. I warned him not to join the protest. He said he would not. Only for me to be called and informed that he was killed. And that is all.”
One Umar Abubakar Hausawa was also said to have been killed by a police stray bullet during the protest at Kofar Nassarawa the same day.
His brother, Rabiu Abubakar, said: “When he was told that our younger brothers had joined the protesters, he was angry and told our mother that he was going to call them back. That was how he went and met his untimely death there.”
Reacting, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said that the police tried to maintain law and order in Rijiyar Lemo as the youths of the area tried to overpower them.
“Actually, what happened was, you know, the Kano State Government has imposed a curfew in the state, so the youths who were in their hundreds tried to trespass into people’s shops to steal their goods. So, our men tried to disperse them, but instead of them going back to their houses, they turned violent and started throwing stones at our personnel”.
He said that the situation warranted the reinforcement of more personnel in order to maintain law and order.
He said the law has allowed the police to defend themselves.
He said that the command had launched an investigation into the cases to ascertain what.
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.