The Bauchi State Government has reported that one person was killed and several others were injured during a clash between political thugs in Duguri, Alkaleri LGA of the state. Duguri is the hometown of the State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed, who is running for reelection for a second term under the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is currently in power in the state.
According to Farouk Mustapha, Director-General of the Bala Mohammed PDP Gubernatorial Campaign Council, who spoke to journalists at the Government House early Thursday morning, the thugs were members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State. Mustapha alleged that trouble began when the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Ambassador Saddique Baba Abubakar, went to Duguri Town in Alkaleri LGA for a last-minute campaign accompanied by several notable politicians from across the country.
Mustapha further claimed that the APC gang leaders who led the thuggery unleashed terror and intimidation on the people of Duguri Town. They chanted abusive words, broke all PDP billboards carrying the governor’s pictures, and burnt down buses, PDP offices, and Keke NAPEP.
In response, the Bauchi State Police Command confirmed that 14 people were injured during the APC gubernatorial candidate’s rally in Duguri Village, under Yuli-Yin Ward, Alkaleri Local Government Area. According to the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Ahmed Wakili, among the 14 injured, six were taken to Primary Health Care Center in Duguri, treated, and discharged. The other eight were seriously injured and referred to the General Hospital, Alkaleri, and later to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for medical treatment.
The PPRO assured the public that the situation was under control and called for calm. He further stated that the Command would not hesitate to deal with anyone that tries to disrupt the peace in Bauchi State.
However, the APC alleged that suspected hired thugs, using dane guns, opened fire on the convoy of the Bauchi state gubernatorial candidate of APC, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, in Duguri, the birthplace of the incumbent Bauchi State Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed. According to eyewitnesses, sounds of sporadic shootings were heard around the premises where the campaign lecture was being held, which made security operatives at the venue rush to the scene of the shootings.
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