Protest: Ten shots, seven reportedly died in Kano

It was a Black Saturday for residents of Kurna, Rijiyar Lemo and  Bachirawa quarters of Dala local government area of Kano State with the alleged shooting of ten people and seven reportedly died.

SolaceBase had reported that with the nationwide protest in Kano on Thursday that turned violent with looting and destruction of properties worth billions of naira, the state government imposed a 24-hour curfew.

Although it was relaxed on Friday from 12.00noon to 5.00 pm for residents to observe congregational Jumaat prayer.

However, on Saturday, some youths around Kurna, Rijiyar Lemo and Bachirawa quarters, defied the curfew and decided to organize a special prayer of two Rakat, (Alqunut) over the hardship in the country, not far away from the pedestrian bridge in the area, after that embarked on a peaceful protest.

However, SolaceBase gathered that a face-off ensured between a group of youth and the police as the security agents insisted on enforcing the restriction order.

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While this was ongoing, some hoodlums took advantage of the situation and attempted to break into Sahad store at Bachirawa and Masama store at Rijiyar Lemo, an eyewitness told SolaceBase that the police ordered people to leave and later started shooting, led by a divisional police officer in the area.

‘’Before you know what was happening the hoodlums resorted to stoning the police and the situation was getting out of hand, ‘’the eyewitness said.  

In one of the several viral videos, the DPO was heard vowing to shoot to kill if any of the stones should hit his personnel.

Speaking in Hausa, he said ‘’I will gun you down and nothing will happen.’’

It was gathered that in the course of this face-off, the police shot sporadically pursuing the hoodlums even within the community with stray bullets hitting about ten victims among whom was a 5-year-old girl , four women and five males.

‘’One of the victims hit by a bullet at Rijiyar Lemo, a young lady who died at a hospital in the community has her wedding scheduled for next week, ‘’another eyewitness said.

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A brother of another deceased, confirmed to this newspaper that his late younger brother would be buried on Sunday morning as he could not survive the bullet injury.

A middle-aged man, Ibrahim Yahaya, a resident at Kurna told this reporter that presently about six victims including females and children are receiving treatment on admission at a private clinic over gunshot wound.

‘’ About six victims including females and children were rushed to hospital close to our mosque, with bullet wounds, unfortunately, two of them died this evening around 7.30 pm,’’ he said.

He noted that most of the victims were hit by bullets around Kurna Layin Masallaci, Kunya Chemists, Kurna Tudun Bojuwa and Rijiyar Lemo

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Several calls made to the Kano Command Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa for comment over the situation was not successful as the line was not connecting as at the time of filing this report.