Police in Kano have explained why they did not shoot Kano State Deputy Governor Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and Commissioner for Local Government,Alhaji Murtala Sule Garo at the Nassarawa local government collation centre, Sunday.
Gawuna and Garo were at the collation centre on Sunday when some youths, allegedly led by the commissioner, tore the results sheet, a development that led to violence.
Speaking to Daily Trust, Police Public Relations Officer DSP Haruna Abdullahi said: “We are trained to protect lives and properties of Nigerian citizens. We are trained to arrest or invite anybody that violates laws of the land and bring him to justice. We are not trained to kill anybody.
“Our job as law enforcement in Kano is to ensure that people respect law and order but not killing. Those who violate the laws at the center were arrested,” he said.
He said Garo and Alhaji Lamin Sani, chairman of Nassarawa Local Government were arrested for allegedly destroying the result sheet.
He said Gawuna was neither arrested nor detained by the police, saying the deputy governor was rather rescued from the scene.
He said investigation into the matter had commenced, assuring members of the public that whoever was found culpable would face the wrath of the law.
Daily Trust observes that the approaches adopted by the State Commissioner Police, Mohammed Wakili in handling issues during and after the gubernatorial election in the state saved the state from experiencing a political crisis.
Wakili, known as champion of fight against drug abuse, visited various polling units that recorded crisis contained the situation.
He was also sighted at the Nassarawa local government collation centre where he mediated among parties’ agents.
An eyewitness, Auwal Ibrahim, said: “It was the CP that brought the idea of writing of an undertaking among the agents on how to solve the problem regarding a ward which delayed the declaration of the result.”