INVESTIGATION: Bloodbath at Tudun Wada, in Kano as residents witness black Sunday
By Elijah Akoji
A black Sunday, February 26th, 2023 remained fresh in the memory of most residents of Tudun-Wada local government area of Kano State with the mayhem visited on the people over a National Assembly election that took place a day before.
‘’The setting ablaze of NNPP secretariat with people said to be inside the building and shooting of others who tried to escape from the inferno to safety left many dead,’’ according to eyewitnesses.
Although the Kano Command of the Nigeria Police confirmed 3 person dead.
Beyond mere rhetoric and doubt, in this investigation by SOLACEBASE Correspondent, Elijah AKOJI uncovers the faces behind the alleged murder and the finger that pulled the trigger that killed over 10 innocent people in Tudun-Wada LGA.
It is not by accident that every finger keeps pointing and mentioning the name Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, every time they speak, filled with grief and anger, you could literally feel their pain.
But how certain are these people and on what fact do they stand knowing that Hon. Alhassan Doguwa is the landlord of the constituency for about 17 years and still contesting.
Kabir Alhaji is the uncle of one of the victims, Alaska who was in the secretariat when it was set ablaze, he narrates how the event unfolded and fingered the faces that masterminded the act which led to the death of his nephew.
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“We were opposite the NNPP secretariat on that faithful day when we heard some loud music and gun short, it was so close that we all stood up to see who the person or people could possibly be, interestingly it was Hon. Ado Doguwa and some strange looking thugs fully armed with weapons,” Alhaji said.
“We went back to our seats and just a few minutes later we saw them return after making a U-turn and stopped at the NNPP secretariat where young boys regardless of their party stay to discuss, we call it ‘Majalisa’, in less than 5 minutes all we could see was a dark smoke coming out from the secretariat with sporadic gunshot, and you could literally hear Hon. Doguwa giving instruction to this thugs to kill anyone who tries to escape from the building.
“My nephew Alaska was inside, I stood helpless and could not help him come out of the fire for fear of not getting shot by Doguwa who was standing with his gun while he watched the fire burn the building and human being to ashes,” he added.
While there is need for more evidence to confirm this beastly act, there is also needed to corroborate Alhaji’s alleged accusation with other victims’ testimonies.
This reporter made his way into Chikin Gari as it is popularly called a small town in Tudun-Wada where he met with Nura Bala, not his original name, for fear of being attacked.
Bala is a loyalist of Hon. Doguwa and a member of the APC youth team; he narrates the event without missing any words or hiding the identity of the beasts.
“I have totally denounced being a member of any political party, I am no longer participating in any political event again, I am worried that they will come after me if they know it’s me, so I will prefer to remain anonymous,” Bala said.
“It was Hon, Doguwa himself who masterminded and executed the killing, burning, and shooting on that faithful day, we have his pictures, and I will give them to you after this interview, He came with some repentant bandit who are Fulani men from the bush and they came in their numbers with local guns, knife, and different kind of sticks in their shapes,” he alleges.
“He stood in front and was giving directives to the boys, we watched him shoot one of his victims who could not survive, he also kicked someone who was trying to escape from the fire, and he locked the door, he sat with his hands folded on his shoulder while he watched the fire burnt down completely for about an hour,” Bala said.
Honorable Alhassan Ado Doguwa is the member representing, Doguwa/Tudun Wada federal constituency at the House of Representatives. Addressed as the landlord of Doguwa/Tudun-Wada constituency, Doguwa was first voted by the people in 2007, while he has served for about seventeen years between 2007-2023 and still contesting, Hon. Doguwa remains one of the long-serving representatives at the National Assembly.
Mudasir Ayuba, 22, would have survived only if he had gotten the professional medical care he required after he was shot on his shoulder.
Tijjani Ayuba, Mudasir’s elder brother described how he watched his brother die while he has been rushed to Kano for urgent surgery.
“Honorable Doguwa pulled the trigger, he can’t deny it, we have evidence of everything, we saw him and even his loyalist saw him when he pulled the trigger, he treated us like animals, killed our brothers, and sat to watch them die, only God can give us the justice we deserve.
“The hospital tried to remove the bullet, but it was difficult for them before he was referred immediately to Kano, sadly, he couldn’t make it. We buried about seven corps burnt alive in the secretariat, this is not a movie it’s a reality I am sharing with you,” Tijjani said.
Lucky Survivals Speak
Auwalu Bala is one of the lucky survivors who is still under medical care at Tudun-Wada General Hospital, he narrates how he was just a victim of circumstance despite he was not in the secretariat when the attack took place.
“I am not a politician, I am not a party supporter, I am a father with an aged mother and three children to take care of, so why will I want to risk my life knowing fully well I have so much responsibility to manage,” Bala said.
“I was just coming out of the mosque when incidentally I overheard the shout and so many thugs with crowd surrounding the NNPP secretariat which the mosque is just beside it, on seeing me, the thugs rushed at me and began to beat me without mentioning my offense, but they were chatting ‘Aike mu ake yi, mai ruwan mu’ meaning they sent us, but they did not mention who did.
“It was after I was rushed to the hospital brutally injured with a broken hand, neck, and with a terrible cut on my back before I knew it was Hon. Doguwa’s hired thugs who came to destroy our community because of the election, something I know nothing about, Bala added.
Bala’s aged mother Suyilat Haruna has become his caregiver, she narrates how hard life has become for them as their only provider is struggling for his life after being brutalized by hired thugs.
“Bala is my only surviving son, he is the one taking care of me and his three kids including his wife, I was shocked by his attack as we all know he doesn’t get involved in all of those political activities,” Suliyat said.
“We heard Doguwa boys invaded the NNPP secretariat, we thought it was a light attack until we saw Bala on admission with a broken neck, and a deep cut on his back, it became clear to us that the beast truly attacked, we are forced to spend what we don’t have to treat him with no support from anywhere and his children are left in hunger, we will never forgive whoever did this to us,” she added.
Haruna Auwal, is also one of the survivors still struggling for his life with so many burns on his body, while Haruna refused to speak to us, his mother Talatu Jibril, who initially declined to speak, registered her bitterness.
“My son has been cheated, everyone said they saw Hon. Alhassan Doguwa, they all can’t lie about it or lie about him, people have a conscience, and they fear God, we were at home, and we got all the information that he came with his boys, and they came with the intention to kill our children.
“See how helpless my son lay here on the mat, he was able to survive because he jumped through the back window and crawled into the bush behind the secretariat, God saved him he had already sustained several injuries while many others have died in the process, Talatu said.
Doguwa Is The Name That Keeps Popping Up
Umaru Sohor Kasuwa is an NNPP member In Tudun-Wada, he described the event as shameful and a beastly act against humanity.
“No one ever expected all of what happened, as we never saw it even coming, it was sad when we heard Hon. Doguwa is in town while we could hear the sound of the music, at the same time, we could hear the sound of guns, it sounded so strange, but we maintained our peace.
“It was not up to 10 minutes when we saw smoke coming from a direction we could not place so it was when is sent my son to go and check again that we got the information that Doguwa and his boys has set the NNPP secretariat on fire. All fingers pointed to Doguwa whom they saw championing the attack, with a gun in his hands while he was instructing the boy to kill people,” Umar said.
“We counted over five people who were burnt in the fire, two who died by gunshot, while some were already discharged for sustaining minor injuries,” Umaru added.
Doguwa Wrongly Fingered By Haters.
Surajo Mohammed Addi is Sarkin Kasuwa Tudun-Wada, and the vice chairman PCRC of Tudun-Wada LGA, denied Hon. Doguwa’s involvement in the act, he described Doguwa as a patriotic victor.
“How will a leader burn his own people, why will a winner take guns to kill those who must have voted for him, there is a misleading fact making the round. Hon. Doguwa incidentally passed the location at about the time the event took place, so it is easy for people to mention him to be involved in the evil.
“Honorable Doguwa is my boss and not my friend, I work for him, so he is my boss, against the news making the round that he slapped me, it is false, I was not even there myself we were at the collation Centre,” Addi said.
“We got the news that NNPP boys had blocked the road and insisted that nobody will pass the road, so again we heard loud music from the other side and the information was that Hon. Alhassan Doguwa came back celebrating his victory and driving around town with his supporters.
“Doguwa cannot do such a thing, he already won the election, so why will he want to inflict pain on his people, he has never won the election in Tudun-Wada, but this time around he won which is a big celebration, so the opposition party are angry about his victory and blocked the road to disrupt the celebration, so the hatred is normal for them to have set their secretariat on fire to accuse Doguwa of committing such act,” Addi added.
Hospital Reveals Victims’ Identity
Hajara Imra, the nurse in charge of the ward and admission confirmed the fatality and revealed the hospital record of the number of victims brought alive, the dead ones, and the ones still on admission in the health facility.
“At first two victims were rushed to the health facility, they were all burnt so they could not stay alive for even 30 minutes and their family members returned their corps home for burial, one of the victims died while he was still under treatment and his corps stayed with us until morning.
“Also, two sustained injuries from the gunshot, while one died in the process of treatment, the other died on his way to Kano on referral for quick response,” Imra said.
Imra listed the total victims that including Aliyu Lawan, Auwalu Bala, Auwalu Haruna, Sani Bala, Sagir Idi Amir, Buhari, Zayyam, Mudasir Ayuba, Sani Bala, and Ibrahim.
This SOLACEBASE publication is produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusion, and Accountability Project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
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