Bloodshed and death: Inside story of Kano’s Tudun Wada electoral violence in Doguwa’s constituency

FEBRUARY 25, 2023, the date for the presidential and national assembly election was one which the residents of Tudun Wada Local Government Area (LGA) in Kano state anticipated as it was a time for them to exercise their franchise through the ballot, but little did they know that it would become the eve of a horror scene the community will not forget anytime soon.

On Sunday, February 26 while the collation of results was ongoing, mayhem struck Tudun Wada when thugs attacked. The office of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) located in Sabon Gari Ward was set ablaze, and scores were burnt to death. Some residents were shot dead, while some luckily escaped.

Many of the residents, survivors and eyewitnesses interviewed by The ICIR pointed accusing fingers at Alhassan Ado Doguwa, as the person “led the thugs and caused violence while possessing firearms” on that day.

Doguwa is the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives of Nigeria. He is an All Progressive Congress (APC) member representing the Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal constituency of Kano state.

Doguwa was first elected member of the House of Representatives for the constituency in 1992 and returned to the green chamber in 2007 where he was consistently re-elected and has been the representative of that constituency since.

Approximately six weeks after the incident, 35-year-old Auwalu Bala survived the attack, but he is still incapacitated. The father of three can no longer work to fend for his family because, till the time of filing this report, he is unable to resume his job as a labourer. The injuries he sustained still affect his health and he now lives at the mercy of his extended family members who make provisions for him and his household.

“As I was about to perform my prayers in the mosque on that day, I heard people echoing ‘Doguwa’s Boys are here’ Bala told The ICIR “, but I was less concerned because I am not a party supporter, and I always mind my business.”

“When the tension was high, I made my way out of the mosque, where seven thugs surrounded me and started beating me ruthlessly with heavy sticks and other weapons”, he narrated.

“I pleaded with them to have mercy on me because I don’t participate in political activities, but they did not. All they kept saying was ‘sa mu aka yi’, meaning ‘we were sent’. While beating me, I got weakened, fell to the ground and then they macheted my back, after which I started bleeding profusely, with a hand broken.”

He said, adding that he is grateful that the injury didn’t affect his spinal cord.

Bala said he spent 10 days at the hospital and, while on his sickbed, was so worried about his mother, wife and children. “I prayed to Allah to keep them safe from the violence and also help me recover because the pain was too much. The hurt of not being able to provide for my household as a man because of my present condition weakens me mentally.”

“I don’t know why they attacked me because I don’t have anything to do with political activities aside from voting during elections,” Bala said.

He was, however, unfazed as he added that he would still vote in the supplementary elections slated for April 15.

Kano state was among the states the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held a supplementary election.

The Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abdul Zango while speaking at a stakeholder meeting with the police, civil society, political party representatives and the media at the headquarters of INEC ahead of the supplementary elections in Kano stated that violence was among the major reasons why the supplementary elections were held in Kano.

He said, “The only reason why we are conducting the supplementary election is because of violence”.

Zango added that a lot of the violence unleashed on people isn’t always from a directive of the political class, as “some supporters can unleash mayhem on the opposition without getting a directive from a politician but one can’t tell the limit so please eschew violence.”

“We can never forgive, we want justice!”
Eighteen-year-old Labaran Sule escaped death by the whiskers. Not only was he shot in his shoulder, he was also macheted close to his neck. He was in a pool of blood by the roadside when help came his way, and was taken to the hospital.

He told The ICIR that he is still angry at the incident and cannot forgive Alhassan Doguwa and the thugs who he accused of attacking him.

“It was about 3 p.m. in the afternoon when I came out of the mosque and saw the office of NNPP on fire, and Doguwa had two guns in his hands. The distance between myself and him wasn’t much, and before I knew what happened, he shot me in the shoulder for no reason. I was crawling and trying to escape when he ordered a thug with a machete to cut me or give him the machete to do it.”

READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/bloodshed-and-death-inside-story-of-kanos-tudun-wada-electoral-violence-in-doguwas-constituency/

Micheal Jackson's song " They don't really care about us" comes to mind.