A resident of Kasuwan Ali community in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Sani Abdullahi, has been shot dead at the venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the House of Representatives seat.
Daily Trust reports that the victim was killed by soldiers following a disagreement over the delayed commencement of the exercise.
A resident, Ibrahim Sale, who confirmed the incident to Daily Trust, said the trouble began when party members protested the late start of the primary election on Saturday morning.
According to him, the delay was caused by the absence of returning officers.
“The exercise was supposed to hold on Saturday morning, but it didn’t take place because of the absence of returning officers. So the youths started protesting, alleging that the delay was deliberate,” he said
“As this was going on, government officials who came to witness the exercise decided to leave because of the absence of the electoral officers. But some youths blocked the road to prevent the officials from leaving the venue.
“The youths insisted they would not leave until electoral officers arrived to conduct the primary. This drew the attention of security personnel, who moved in to disperse them. As soon as the security personnel arrived, the youths started throwing stones at them. The soldiers then started shooting, and a stray bullet hit the victim.”
Eyewitnesses said the incident threw the area into confusion, with residents condemning the killing and calling for a thorough investigation and justice for the deceased.
Security authorities were yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
