A member of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano), has raised alarm over what he described as a disturbing wave of politically motivated violence targeted at members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency.
In a statement on Friday, Mr Doguwa alleged that the attacks were not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate and weaken APC structures at the grassroots level.
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He accused the local leadership of the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) of orchestrating the violence, warning that such developments pose a serious threat to peace and democracy in Kano State.
The lawmaker cited the most recent incident on 28 August, when suspected political thugs allegedly stormed Tasarrufi General Enterprise, a factory located in Tudun Wada.
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According to him, the attackers unleashed violence on workers and destroyed property worth millions of naira. The invasion, he said, left residents traumatised and in fear of renewed unrest.
Mr Doguwa, former majority leader of the House of Representatives, further alleged that the operation was not only premeditated but also had the direct involvement of senior political actors in the state.
He singled out the Chairperson of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kano State chapter, Sa’adatu Salisu, for blame, accusing her of personally leading the attack.
He claimed that Ms Salisu, under the guise of enforcing a demolition exercise, arrived at the factory with armed men who allegedly fired live ammunition at innocent individuals.
Among those allegedly targeted, he said, was the APC Chairman of Tudun Wada Local Government, Suyudi Umar, whose life was placed in grave danger.
“This is barbaric and unacceptable. No one, no matter how highly placed, is above the law. We cannot continue to condone acts that endanger lives and threaten the stability of our democracy,” Mr Doguwa said, urging security agencies to intervene decisively to forestall a repeat of such violence.
Following his petition, the Kano State Police Command confirmed that it had commenced a full-scale investigation into the matter.
The Police Public Relations Officer said that relevant stakeholders including ALGON officials, community leaders, and eyewitnesses, had been invited to provide statements, assuring that the investigation would be thorough and impartial.
NNPP reacts
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, the NNPP Chairperson in Kano State, Hashim Dungurawa, dismissed Mr Doguwa’s claims, arguing that NNPP’s philosophy, symbolised by its emblem – a book and academic cap – represents knowledge, education, and peaceful reform, not confrontation.
“There is no way you can gather 10, 20, 50 people and expect all of them to behave in a particular way but whatever transpired in Tudun Wada, I may not be in the picture. I am not aware of this and I don’t know about it. But as a party, we are taking precautions to avoid violence in the 2027 general election that is around the corner,” he said.
Mr Dungurawa insisted that NNPP would not be associated with violence, saying the party’s ideology and symbolism were built on knowledge, education, and social reform. “Our symbol is a book of knowledge. Nobody who has knowledge will go and beat his brother or sister.
Nobody who values knowledge will take hard drugs. We are out to formalise society, to bring sanity and correction, and to make education a top priority in government. That is what our party stands for,” the chairman stated.
A civil society group has also waded into the matter.
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Human Rights Network Nigeria (HRN-Nigeria) submitted a petition demanding an independent probe into the incident.
The group alleged that the attacks were politically motivated, resulting in injuries to several people and the destruction of properties belonging to opposition supporters.
He also called on President Bola Tinubu and the APC national leadership to take up the matter at the highest level, stressing that democracy can only thrive when citizens enjoy the freedom to associate with political parties of their choice without fear of harassment or violence.
