Posted on: 01:51 Tue, 24 Mar 2015


Blood flowed freely on Monday in Kaduna state as supporters of the major opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clashed.
Nigerian Pilot reported that the violence started when APC political thugs carrying out a one-million-man march for the state governorship candidate of the party, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, attacked PDP supporters.

READ ALSO: APC Chieftain, 7,000 Members Dump APC For PDP In Yobe It was reported that some of the supporters were injured in the process, while bill boards in support of President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero were destroyed.

The incident was propelled by the sudden change of venue for the one-million-man march. It is understood that the march was slated to be held in Ahmadu Bello Stadium, but was stopped by security agents, who ordered that the march should be relocated to Kaduna International Trade Fair Complex on Kaduna – Zaria Expressway. It was further reported that the directive did not go down well with the APC supporters who were chanting “change, change dole,” venting their anger on anything that had to do with the PDP, including pulling down billboards of PDP candidates, which roused the anger of the PDP supporters who were at the GEJ campaign office on NEPA roundabout, Ahmadu Bello Way.

An eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “We were sitting by the roadside when we saw few youths with T-shirt carrying APC logo from the crowd, accompanying the opposition governorship candidate, El-Rufai, through Ahmadu Bello Way. On getting to the office of President Jonathan/Sambo campaign office, those youths started bringing down the PDP billboards mounted in front of the filling station close to the campaign office.”

The eyewitness added that: “They proceeded to the Goodluck/Namadi campaign organisation secretariat where they jumped through the fences to attack PDP youths who were inside the office.

The PDP supporters on seeing the APC thugs approaching them tried to defend themselves but were overshadowed or out shined by the large number of the APC supporters. Two people were injured, though it took the intervention of the police to bring the situation under control.”

The injured were quickly rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

It was also learnt that if not for the swift intervention of officers from Gabasawa police station, who dispersed the warring parties, the situation could have been worse as the thugs had almost set the PDP campaign office ablaze.

The state police spokesman, DSP Zubairu Abubakar, confirmed the clash and said that arrests have been made.

“We have arrested some of the people engaged in the fight but I cannot disclose the actual number to you now; but investigation is ongoing,” he said.

The APC thugs were alleged to have been in possession of dangerous weapons during the clash. A non-governmental organisation, CLEEN Foundation, in its security threat assessment report has identified 21 Nigerian states that may be affected by electoral violence during the March 28 and April 11 elections.
In a swift reaction to the tension that has been looming in parts of the country, the inspector general of police, Suleiman Abba, has unveiled his security priority list and plan for the election period.