Community Leader Said “Nigeria Army Shoot at Protestors Without Guns”
By Lawrence Zongo
A Teenage party member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abba Sani Zaki, was killed on Thursday May 16, when soldiers allegedly opened fire on protesters in Kasuwan Ali Ward, Gindiri, in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The protest followed allegations that party stakeholders had announced results for the Mangu/Bokkos Federal House of Representatives primary election without any voting taking place in the ward.
Social media influencer Emmanuel Andy Saidu, who spoke to The Nigeria Times, said party members were angry after Hon. David Ishaya Lalu was declared a winner without primaries. Yes, they declared Hon. David Ishaya Lalu as winner without any primaries,” Saidu said.
According to him, supporters in the ward had expected a transparent process, but another name, Rautha Dakok, was announced even though no election was held.Saidu said tensions rose when youths tried to stop stakeholders from leaving with the result sheets to Mangu town, Home town of Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
“The boy’s name is Abba Sani Zaki, from Kasuwan Ali Ward in Gindiri,” Saidu said. “It all started when some stakeholders came and wrote results that Lalu won in Kasuwan Ali Ward without any primary election.
Youths demanded that due process must be followed and kato bayan kato must be done. [Direct Primaries]”He said the stakeholders later returned with soldiers.“They tried to stop the stakeholders from going with the fake result to Mangu, but they went and brought soldiers and immediately they came they started opening fire on innocent people, directly shooting,” he said.
A community leader in Kasuwan Ali also call Pumbush in Indigenous language, who witnessed the incident, said the crisis began before voting could take place.“The incident happened during APC politics, when people were about to vote for the party’s candidate,” the leader said.
“Before voting could take place, the election was suddenly declared concluded even though no one had voted.”He said the youths protested because a winner had been announced without any election.
According to the witness, two soldiers first arrived on motorcycles before more soldiers came in a vehicle with guns“The soldiers started shooting. I was standing there watching what was happening when one of the soldiers pointed at someone and ordered others to ‘catch this guy,’” he said.
“The Protesters don’t have guns” he added The community leader said Abba Sani Zaki was shot and killed during the shooting, while at least two others were injured.
He confirmed to the Nigeria Times, that the protesters were unarmed and only chanting. “The protesters were not holding guns, but chanting,” he emphasized.
He also said the injured victims were not taken to hospital by the soldiers.“The soldiers did not help take the injured people to the hospital. Instead, they left them there, and it was the family members who eventually took the injured victims to the hospital,” he added.
The deceased was later prepared for burial according to Islamic rites.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigerian Army nor APC officials in Plateau State had issued an official statement on the incident.
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