Two
out of the four fun seekers allegedly shot in a clash with the police
at Ado Bayero shopping mall (Shoprite) in Kano last Sunday have
recounted their ordeals, saying they were rushed to hospital by
sympathizers in order to save their lives.
One
of the victims, Lawal Musa popularly known as Akawuwa, who spoke to
Kano Chronicle on his hospital bed at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital
(AKTH), said four of them were admitted at the hospital.
He
said, “Two of us were treated and discharged, another one was referred
to Sir Sanusi hospital, while I am retained here (AKTH). I was shot in
the chest, while one of the two discharged was shot in the wrist and the
other at his elbow. The fourth victim sustained bullet wound in his
right thigh.
“I
was lucky that I was with my friend when the incident happened. He
rushed me to hospital on a tricycle. Police did not take us to hospital.
They only shot us and quickly deserted the scene.”
Another
victim, Yusuf Adamu, who was referred to the emergency unit of Sir
Muhammadu Sanusi Specialist Hospital from AKTH in the late hours of
Sunday with bullet wound in his leg, said several people were injured
during the incident.
Adamu,
who spoke through his brother, Abubakar Khalil Abubakar, said they were
walking around the main entrance of the Shoprite when suddenly they
heard gunshots and people around scampered to save their lives.
“It
was in the process of saving my life that one of the bullets hit my
thigh and I instantly collapsed. I was screaming for help when three
young men helped me to get out of the place.”
The
Chief Zonal Medical Officer, Sir Muhammadu Sanusi Specialist Hospital,
Dr Abdulkarim Sule confirmed to Kano Chronicle that Adamu was brought to
the hospital by his biological father at 11:45 pm on Sunday but left
without notifying the care givers attending to him.
“Records
available on my desk show that the young man was brought into the
hospital by his father at 11:45pm on Sunday with a wound suspected to be
from a gunshot on his right thigh but after he was given emergency
treatment, the doctor that attended to him also conducted a Packed Cell
Volume (PCV) test to ascertain whether there was need for blood
transfusion but the following day when the result came out he was
nowhere to be found,” Dr Sule said.
A
reliable source at the hospital who spoke to Kano Chronicle off record
said Adamu reported that he was coming from Kano Zoological Garden where
he had gone to catch fun for Eid-el-fitr celebration, however on
reaching the Shoprite axis around 9:00pm he was entangled in a commotion
between the police and some youths in which live bullets were fired and
he was hit by a stray bullet.
Kano
Chronicle had reported that three persons sustained varying degrees of
gunshot injuries from the clash between the police and the fun seekers.
The
clash which continued till Monday evening, started on Sunday when the
fun seekers most of whom were youths in their thousands were prevented
by mobile police personnel from entering into the shopping mall to catch
fun for the Sallah celebration.
Eye
witness account indicated that the trouble started around 9:00 pm on
the fateful Sunday when some of the fun seekers got angry and started
hurling stones at the security operatives after they had been denied
entry into the event centre.
Abdullahi
Mohammed, an eye witness who spoke to our reporters, said, “Yesterday
(Sunday) around 9:00pm some groups of youth came and stood by the gate
of the shopping mall, the Mopol working at the mall probably felt
uncomfortable with them and therefore decided to disperse them and the
youths started hurling stones at the security operatives, in response
the police opened fire and three of the fun seekers were hit.”
He
said windshields of some of the vehicles parked within the premises of
the shopping mall were damaged by the angry youths during the fracas.
Another
eye witness, Malam Muhammad A. Muhammad further confirmed that three
persons were shot Sunday evening in his presence. He however affirmed
that no life was lost as a result of the injuries they sustained.
He said two of the victims were shot on their legs while the other was shot in his arm.
Police
Public Relations Officer, SP Magaji Musa Majia, in a press statement
issued Monday evening, denied the alleged shooting by the police saying
neither teargas nor gunfire was used by the police on guard duty at
Shoprite during the commotion but only minimum force to disperse the
angry youths.
He
said, “The stampede occurred and the police acted professionally to
safe guard life and property and never shoot anybody, policemen did not
use any firearms or even teargas.
“But
some irate youths outside started protesting thereby throwing stones
and vandalising public and private properties. The police officers would
not hold their arms and watch while law and order are being broken.
“Minimum
force was used to disperse the protesting youths while children and
properties were professionally safeguarded by the police and sister
security agencies working at the place,” Majia said.
Meanwhile,
the management of Solace base online media organization, said it stood
its story despite police denial, saying it has enough evidence to back
up the story to any length.
Reacting
to the police statement yesterday, the Managing Editor of the online
newspaper, Abdullateef Abubakar Jos reaffirmed the position of the media
outlet about the story.
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