At least 15 persons have been killed in different attacks on campaign trains in Kano, Enugu and Ebonyi states.
In Kano, hoodlums attacked the convoy of supporters of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
The Head of Operations, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence (NSDC), Kano Command, DCC Faruk Nuhu, in a briefing said the reports its men gathered from the field showed that between five and seven corpses have so far been recovered.
But the NNPP said none of its members was confirmed dead while the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said it had no report of any casualties other than vehicles.
The NSCDC spokesman, DSC Idris Ibrahim also paraded 65 suspects said to have been arrested following the fracas, adding that others have been handed over to the police.
He said a joint operation with the Nigerian Air Force, army and NSCDC led to the arrest of the suspects.
“Actually, a lot of vehicles were vandalised and the report I got from my personnel is that five to seven persons lost their lives and a lot of vehicles were vandalised which I cannot ascertain the number now,” he said.
Similarly, Daily Trust gathered that two local government chairmen, Ramat Abdullahi of Ungogo LGA and Mounir Gwarzo of Gwarzo LGA have reportedly been arrested by the police for unlawful possession of firearms and for allegedly leading hoodlums that unleashed mayhem on the NNPP supporters.
Reacting, the spokesman of the NNPP campaign council in Kano, Sanusi Bature, told Daily Trust that the party was not surprised by the arrests and that it had already informed the police earlier in the morning of the plans of the APC to attack supporters of the opposition party.
We are not involved in attack – APC
But the deputy spokesman of the APC Campaign Council, Garba Yusuf Abubakar, who is the state’s Commissioner for Water Resources, denied the allegations of the party’s complicity in the attack.
“We are not involved because we had withdrawn our campaign based on the advice by the police to all political parties. The APC, Kano government and campaign council are not aware not to talk of being involved in this incident.
“As of the time the incident was reportedly happening, leaders of the party were with the state governor at the Government House for the swearing in of new permanent secretaries,” he said.
Meanwhile, one of the suspects, Sani Isah, 49 said that they were called from Kabo LGA to come for a political rally in Kano.
Rabiu Ibrahim Karaye, 17, said, “I was playing football at home when I was called to come for a political rally of APC. I just arrived and alighted from a vehicle when I was arrested. I only have one stick.”