Police arrest three over political violence in Katsina

Police in Katsina State have arrested three people after a vehicle was set ablaze and political posters were burnt in Yankara, Faskari Local Government Area, on Saturday.

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In a statement issued on Sunday, police spokesperson Abubakar Aliyu described the incident as suspected political thuggery.

He said investigations were continuing to determine what triggered the violence.

According to the police, a crowd blocked a road in Yankara, threw stones and burnt political posters after Governor Dikko Radda had passed through the town on his way to an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign rally in Faskari.

Mr Aliyu said the governor’s convoy passed without incident under the security arrangements put in place for the campaign.

The police said the crowd later set fire to a Toyota Sienna (commonly called Sharon) belonging to a supporter who had travelled to the rally.

The vehicle had developed a mechanical fault and was parked by the roadside after its driver left for the campaign venue.

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Officers from the Faskari Police Division, working with other security agencies, dispersed the crowd and arrested three suspects: Garba Shu’aibu, 25; Salmanu Ibrahim, 18; and Nazifi Hussaini, 30. Investigators are searching for others who fled the scene.

Police Commissioner Ali Umar Fage warned political parties and their supporters against violence during election campaigns.

He urged residents to remain calm and said those found responsible would be prosecuted.

The police have not identified the vehicle’s owner, established whether those responsible were affiliated with any political party, or disclosed what triggered the road blockade.

They have also not said whether the burning of the vehicle and posters was politically motivated.

The police account follows an earlier statement by the Katsina State Government on Saturday that disputed reports linking the violence in Yankara to Mr Radda’s campaign rally.

In the statement, signed by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, the government said preliminary information showed the disturbance arose from a disagreement between participants in a Maulud procession and security personnel over designated routes, confusing on a public street in Yankara.

ALSO READ: Katsina govt denies violence link to Radda’s campaign rally

The government insisted the incident had no connection with the governor’s campaign activities or the Tinubu-Dikko campaign rally in Faskari.

It said Mr Radda passed through Yankara safely, visited the district head’s palace, inspected ongoing renovation works at the Faskari Local Government Secretariat, and later attended the rally.

The government called on security agencies to investigate the incident thoroughly and urged media organisations and the public to verify reports before sharing information that could heighten tension.

It also appealed to residents to remain calm.

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