By Blogger
- Leadership NewsPaper (Feb 17, 2015)
Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, could not deliver his campaign speech in Maiduguri yesterday as thousands of his supporters who converged for the Maiduguri rally forced him to leave the venue amidst deafening and sustained chanting of campaign slogans in support of his candidature.
More than 100,000 supporters filed out from every nook and cranny of Maiduguri as early as 6am, all armed with brooms and many dressed in APC T-shirts as they continued to sing and dance along the streets of Maiduguri.
Hours before the arrival of General Buhari at Maiduguri, the venue was already filled to capacity even as heavily armed soldiers battled ceaselessly to prevent many more that were still trooping in from going inside.
At a point, the apparently exasperated soldiers and policemen were forced to shoot into the air and release some canisters of tear gas in a failed attempt to keep the crowd at bay.
Several persons who made it into the venue of the rally were reported to have slumped in a stampede as frustrated soldiers angrily used whips on the unrelenting crowd that kept surging into the main arena.
General Buhari, accompanied by the national chairman of the APC, Chief John Oyegun, the national coordinator, Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Rochas Okorocha, Chief Audu Ogbe, and a host of others, arrived Maiduguri International Airport at about 10am but his motorcade which had to snake through the sea of supporters took two hours to drive a distance of 10km to get to the palace of the Shehu of Borno.
The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Garbai Alamin Ibn Elkanemi, who received the former military ruler that was led to the palace by the host, Governor Kashim Shettima, asked the APC candidate to prioritise security and the return of peace to Borno State. He also called for massive investment in the state in order to help recover the losses suffered by the state as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency.
In his message, Buhari emphasised that Boko Haram has nothing to do with Islam.
“If elected, our government will focus on tackling the persistent insecurity affecting the North-east of Nigeria. The APC government has a plan to see that towns and villages under the control of the insurgents are liberated and rebuilt for the displaced residents.
“It is quite unfortunate that commercial activities have been paralysed in this part of the country that once was a hub of trade and commerce, as insurgency had forced many to flee; one can still recall a Borno State where hundreds of trailers loaded with commodities take off from Maiduguri to various parts of Nigeria as well as the neighbouring countries. Today, we have a reversed case here.
“Boko Haram has nothing to do with Islam. People who don’t know anything about Boko Haram will say it is religion; no religion will accept killings, destroying of schools, markets and kidnapping of girls and say ‘insha Allah’; except we don’t know what we are saying”, he said.
At the venue of the rally, the APC presidential candidate drove into an arena that was bursting with people as the deafening cheers of the crowd overwhelmed all pleas for calm.
The crowd went wild when Buhari had to walk through the elevated isle of the mega podium. Fans of the former military head of state went out of control as they broke through the iron barricade that fenced them out and rushed towards the stand. The friendly show of support and love for the APC presidential candidate suddenly became a threat as all pleas for them to calm down fell on deaf ears. Sensing that it would amount to a waste of time if he should insist on speaking, Buhari took the advice of his aides and quickly allowed them to whisk him out of the venue.
As soon as the presidential candidate boarded his vehicle, thugs at the venue began to vandalise and loot most of the installations including the cable of some of the TV stations beaming live transmission of the rally.
Rallying APC Youths on Rampage Burn PDP Campaign Offices, Billboards
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| APC Supporters vandalising PDP Billboards (Photo by Blogger) |
Youths supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had today set ablaze the campaign office of former Borno state governor Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
The youth group who were dressed in vests with APC logo on them were out in the streets of Maiduguri on a rally ahead the arrival of the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, when they suddenly stormed the campaign office of the former governor, broke the gate and set place ablaze.
The Ali Sheriff PDP campaign office popular know as UTC was located about 500 meters from the Ramat Square, the venue of the APC presidential rally.
The irate youth who were chanting anti-Jonathan slogan had also waylaid a tricycle (Keke-Napep) that has logos of PDP and set it ablaze right in front of Ex-governor Ali Sheriff’s campaign office.
One of the police officers stationed at the gate of the burnt campaign office told LEADERSHIP that “we tried everything in our powers as permitted of us during riots to stop the youth, but they came in their hundreds and our men have to retreat because we do not intend to use excess force to stop them. It was really very sad”.
The youths did not stop at that as they were also spotted vandalising various campaign billboards and posters belonging the PDP politicians in the state.
The group were also seen in some parts of Maiduguri carrying a mock corpse of PDP using the party's flags which they tore. In front of some of offices of opposition parties.
Reacting to the burning of the former governor’s campaign office, his media associate and former commissioner of information in Borno state, Mr Inuwa Bwala described the attack on PDP structures in Maiduguri as very unfortunate even as he blamed the assault on the state governor, Kashim Shettima.
Bwala whose reaction was monitored in the BBC Hausa news broadcast said “we do not blame the attack on the campaign office of Former Governor Ali Sheriff on the visit of Buhari; rather it is an attack sponsored by the incumbent governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima”.Reacting to the attack, in a written statement the spokesman of the Borno state PDP Governorship candidate, Muhammad Imam campaign committee, Mr Inuwa Bwala said the act was highly condemnable and unprovoked.
"The Muhammed Imam governorship Campaign Organisation condemns the unprovoked attack on PDP supporters and property in Maiduguri by APC hoodlums", statement
"We equally condemn the attack on Military personnel by hired thugs, ostensibly acting out the script of the Boring state Government.
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| Senator Ali Sheriff Campaign Office (UTC) along Kashim Ibrahim Way Maiduguri burnt by APC supporters |
We commiserate with the victims of the attack and caution the Borno state Governor Kashim Shettima who seems to take delight is causing mischief anytime the PDP plans its programmes within the state.
"While we call on all supporters of Muhammad Imam to remain calm and lawful in the face of such unprovoked attacks, we wish to assure our citizens that no act of desperation nor violence can alter the will of God.
"We remain focused on the mission of rescuing Borno from the clutches of an inept and corrupt leadership.
"We leave it to the security agencies to investigate the Maiduguri mayhem perpetrated in the name of hosting a presidential candidate.
"One wonders how the same Buhari visited Baylesa in peace but Shettima has turned Borno into a vortex of violence and political nihilism".
Soldiers kill 2 in Maiduguri over two trucks of arms
At least two members of the Civilian- JTF were reportedly killed by soldiers in Maiduguri yesterday in a clash over two trucks that drove into Maiduguri loaded with arms at the time residents filed out to welcome the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari.
Member of the Civilian-JTF on a stop-and-check duty saw two trucks loaded with sealed boxes being driven into the state capital with some military escorts, and decided to find out the content of the boxes.
The soldiers, according to witnesses curtly informed them to clear off the way as the trucks taking the consignments to the headquarters of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army. The young insisted that on knowing the content of the boxes, and when soldiers remained adamant, one of them was able to find out that the boxes were filled with arms.
“When the Civillian-JTF members found out that all the two trucks were carrying arms, they decided to raise the alarm that the soldiers were bringing in arms at a time the APC presidential candidate was being expected”, said an eyewitness, who doesn't want to be named.
The angry soldiers warned the crowd to stay away from the truck, but the youth had already mobilised in there hundred and started burning tyres around the two trucks filled with deadly munitions.
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APC Supporters carrying a mock corpse the Presidential rally in Maiduguri |
Leadershi learnt further that some of the youth had to climb and began to jump on top of the arms and ammunition not minding the dangers it could cause them.
When the soldiers escorting the two trucks noticed that some of the mobs were contemplating setting the trucks ablaze, they began to fire into the air, but the youth group were unyielding. as some of them began to attack the vehicle with cutlasses, sticks and clubs.
“That was how the soldiers fired some shots at the attackers and hit at 12 persons. Two of the victims died instants while ten others were rushed to the hospital where they are currently being treated of various degree of bullet injuries.
An official of the Civilian-JTF who also declined being quoted by name insist the soldiers had ulterior motives by ferrying in such a large number of arms using private commercial trucks.
Despite the shooting incident, the angry youths refused to bulge as the soldiers too were ready to bring down any other person that dares to advance towards the trucks.
The situation almost got out of hand when the campaign train of Muhammadu Buhari which had just came out of the airport had to stop as they barricaded the road with heavy burn fire from tyres.
Some of the angry young had commenced attack on some of the vehicles in the motorcade of the APC presidential, whom they actually filed out to welcome to welcome as they continued to chant ‘soldiers are the real Boko Haram’.
Buhari who was supposed to commission a housing estate very close to the scene of the shooting, was advised to put it off duty to security concern.
A security official in Maiduguri has told LEADERSHIP that the trucks in question were carrying consignment of arms meant to be delivered to the headquarters of the 7 Division, Nigeria Army in Maiduguri.
“It is actually a cache or munitions meant to be brought to the 7 Division here in Maiduguri. The vehicle that was bringing them developed fault on the way so a private truck backed by military escorts were commissioned to go and convey the arms.
“For God sake the two trucks were clearly being escorted with soldiers on two patrol vans - one in the front and the other tailing behind. But despite that the young men were stubborn and began to set fire on around the trucks; some were even climbing on top of the ammunition not worrying if any one got exploded,
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