Tension in Katsina over the arrest of CPC guber candidate
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- Category: Politics
- Published on Sunday, 06 March 2011 02:06
- Written by The Nation
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Tempers flared and tension mounted in Katsina yesterday over the arrest of the CPC gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Yakubu Lado.
The arrest, which took place, ostensibly on the orders of the commissioner of police, generated rage among supporters of the CPC who took to the streets. A government press statement, which was subsequently withdrawn, revealed an arrest order.
By noon, there were many instances of bonfire, starting from the state party secretariat at IBB way while youths moved angrily from IBB way through Kofar Kaura and proceeded to Kofar Durbi in katsina.
Other groups of protesters that took off from WTC road, passed through Hassan Usman Katsian road up to Government House and moved towards Kofar Durbi. The police had a Herculean task, as they were taken on by the protesters who threw stones at the security forces in order to open paths of protest. The police countered with tear gas in various parts of the town.
One of the main victims of the police brutality, Hajiya Mairo Tafida, former President Umar Musa Yar’adua’s elder sister who joined CPC with his younger brother Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua, was man handled during the arrest of Yakubu Lado.
Yar’Adua’s elder sister, who has asthma, was sprayed with tear gas and she collapsed at the scene before other supporters came to her rescue.
While speaking to The Nation on the police brutality against her, she said, “the police sprayed tear gas on me until I fell down outside there before my people came and took me aside and revived me. They told them I was asthmatic yet, they still sprayed me”. Sources said the state government had made good its threat to arrest the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) gubernatorial candidate, Senator Yakubu Lado yesterday.
Sen. Yakubu Garba Lado, the CPC gubernatorial candidate, was forcibly arrested in his Liyafa Hotel room in Katsina. The arrest was carried out amidst police shooting and release of tear gas on morning at about 3.30 am yesterday.
Reliable sources informed The Nation that the police numbering over twenty who arrested Sen . Yakubu Lado failed in its attempt on his running mate, Col. Abdullaziz Musa Yar’adua (Rtd) from the hotel after hours of surveillance that lasted till about 1.30 am. It was after this botched attempt that they descended on Lado and his supporters immediately on arrival at the hotel.
CPC gubernatorial running mate to Yakubu Lado, Abdullaziz Musa Yar’adua, former president Umar Musa Yar’adua’s younger brother, who spoke to The Nation gave the graphic details, but expressed shock at what he described as irresponsible display of power by the state government.
“After we finished our meeting with CPC state executives in respect of the party rally due to hold today (yesterday) at Daura zone, we came back with our CPC gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Yakubu Lado to our lodge in Liyafa hotel to sleep.
“Ten minutes after we arrived, mobile police men numbering over 20, well armed and led by one Mohammed Sani in charge of Katsina Government House Security, led his men and forced his way into our residence in our apartment”.
“They forced their way in to the bed room where our gubernatorial candidate was lying in down in studio 1 room, while I was in other another apartment studio 2 room trying to sleep when Lado’s Aide came in that the have some unusual situation with them”.
