Politicians attacked at road flag-off, ritual suspect narrowly escapes lynching

By Umar Akilu, Dutse

A road flag-off ceremony in Jigawa State descended into chaos over the weekend, as aggressive youths attacked a convoy of top politicians, including the Chairman of Kirikasamma Local Government Council, Alhaji Muhammad Maji, and Member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Abubakar Fulata. Separately, a man suspected of being a ritualist was severely beaten by a mob after being caught at a graveyard.

Governor Umar Namadi had just flagged off the construction of the 23.4 km Tarabu to Gafta Road when the incident occurred.

The road project, awarded to Mothercat Construction Company at a cost of N17.28 billion, connects Tarabu, Matarar Alhazai, Makanta, Sawo, Iyo, Gishinawa, and Gafta, with an expected completion time of one year.

Shortly after the official ceremony, and before the official citizens' engagement event in Kirikasamma, youths in Tarabu village launched an attack, smashing several vehicles with stones.

Police vehicles and cars belonging to top politicians, including the Council Chairman, Alh. Maji, and the Member representing Guri, Kirikasamma, and Birniwa, Alh. Fulata, were damaged. Both politicians narrowly escaped being lynched.

The violence against the federal lawmaker, Alhaji Abubakar Fulata, was reportedly fueled by frustration, as he is allegedly at loggerheads with his constituents over a perceived failure to execute projects, unlike other representatives.

In an unrelated development, the police arrested a man suspected to be a ritualist in Tarabu, who was saved from a near-fatal mob action. The suspect, identified only as Malam and said to be based in Tarabu, was apprehended after a good Samaritan caught him at a graveyard attempting to remove the eye of a corpse that had been recently buried the previous night.
Upon being spotted, the suspect fled to the District Head’s palace seeking cover.

However, news of the incident quickly spread, and aggrieved youths pursued him, descending on the palace and commencing a brutal beating. Security personnel intervened to save his life and whisk him away for investigation. Even during the extraction, the mob smashed the police vehicle before security forces managed to disperse the crowd and prevent them from taking the law into their own hands.

All efforts to reach the Police Spokesman for comment on both incidents proved abortive.