Hundreds of irate youths took to the streets of Rano Local Government Area of Kano State on Monday following the alleged death of Abdullahi Musa, a young man, while in the custody of the police.
A source in the town, which is about 50 kilometers away from Kano, revealed that the incident sparked widespread demonstrations that escalated into violence, with protesters setting the Rano Divisional Police Headquarters ablaze.
An eyewitness, Aliyu Isyaku said the man was arrested by the Police over a traffic-related offence but died in custody during interrogation.
According to him, some local youths accused Divisional Police Officer Baba Ali of physically assaulting Musa, which allegedly resulted in his death.
” A young man was beaten mercilessly by the DPO. Later, we heard he died in their custody. That’s what triggered the protest because of this development, angry youths took to the streets demanding justice for the deceased.
Another eyewitness who preferred anonymously said, though the protest, initially peaceful, but, turned violent when police operatives allegedly opened fire to disperse the crowd, injuring at least two demonstrators — Hassan Salisu Hassan and Muhammad Ibrahim — who are currently receiving treatment at Rano General Hospital.
“The police action sparked outrage among the youths, who retaliated with stone-throwing and eventually torched the police station.”
Our findings indicated that the DPO, Baba Ali, sustained serious injuries during the clash and is undergoing treatment.
However, the Kano State Police Command has confirmed the incident in a statement posted on his official Facebook page, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, wrote: “Incident in Rano — thorough investigation will be conducted by the Grace of God.”
Ahmad Sorondinki
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