No fewer than five people were feared dead yesterday at Kofa village in Bebeji local government area of Kano State when supporters loyal to the former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and former House Committee Chairman on Appropriation, Alhaji Abdulmumuni Jibrin Kofa engaged in a bloody clash.
According to eyewitness account, trouble started when Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his convoy was in the area to re-energise its followers passed through an open space where Kofa and his supporters were praying for the peaceful conduct of the general elections.
It was gathered that Kwankwaso’s convoy disrupted the ongoing prayer session, which resulted into the bloody clash that reportedly led to the death of five people, while many others from both sides were injured.
According to an eyewitness account who pleaded anonymity, “The long convoy of Senator Kwankwaso which disrupted the prayers was actually the cause of the problem.
“It was, indeed, a bloody sight. The Kwankwaso people had provoked Kofa’s supporters who were conducting a peaceful prayer session for the peaceful conduct of the elections.
“I counted five dead bodies which were moved away on a police Hilux Van. Many vehicles were set ablaze; and buildings around the Kofa Neighbourhood were also burnt.”
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When contacted, the state commissioner of Police, Mr. Wakili Mohammed said he was yet to be fully briefed on the incident, “When I am fully briefed, I will call you and give you the full details. For now, I cannot tell you what I don’t know.”
When contacted Hon Abdul Mumini Jibrin Kofa confirmed the incident and accused the Mobile Police that were attached to Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of sporadic shooting into the air for more than an hour leading to the death of many people while some others were injured.
He said, “On noticing that the Police backed them, members of the Kwankwassiyya then became emboldened and started to set fire on my house and burnt a about 60 vehicles.
“ I wonder why Kwakwanso will do all this to me. I have never joined issues with him politically and at the first instance when I learnt that he was coming to the area I alerted the governor and almost all the security heads were informed about it but he refused to change his route.
“We were just offering prayers for the successful conduct of the forthcoming general elections in my own house when the police disrupted it with their gun shots,” he lamented.
When contacted the spokesman of the PDP candidate, Abba K. Yusuf, Alhaji Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa confirmed the incident and said that Kwankwaso’s convoy was indeed attacked in Kofa by some APC members and the clash led to the death of many people.
