How Nigerian governors escaped attack as bandits shoot three police officers

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and his Jigawa State counterpart, Muhammad Badaru, on Wednesday narrowly escaped being attacked by bandits on a highway linking Zamfara and Kano states.

The governors had attended the ceremony in Gusau in which Zamfara governor, Bello Matawalle, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The convoy of the Kano governor was returning to Kano from the ceremony when it ran into the bandits.

However, the Kano governor was not in the convoy as he had joined that of Mr Badaru, which passed the same route earlier before the bandits apparently struck.

Kano State Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, confirmed the attack to BBC Hausa Service.

Mr Garba said Mr Ganduje was not riding in his convoy when it was attacked by the outlaws.

He said “the governor had left with Mr Badaru in the Jigawa governor’s convoy before the attack.”

The official said three police officers were hit by bullets released by the bandits while vehicles in the convoy belonging to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and an ambulance were also riddled with bullets.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the bandits had earlier killed Mohammed Ahmed, a lawmaker from Zamfara State.

The police spokesperson in Katsina, Gambo Isah, said the bandits blocked the highway along Sheme-Funtua Road around 10:30 p.m, on Tuesday.

He, however, said no incident of kidnap was reported.

The governors had attended the defection ceremony in Zamfara where they received Mr Mattawalle late in the day.