Some journalists present at the court premises, to cover the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal have been allegedly attacked by the police.
Reports revealed that among the journalists who were being attacked during the process of discharging their duties were: Salim Umar Ibrahim of Daily Trust and BBC Hausa Reporter, Zahraddeen Lawal.
According to the information gathered, the Police who were on duty instructed the journalists to move about 10 meters away from the Court premises and in the process, some of them pounced on them, alleging that they were taking pictures at the court.
According to Daily Trust, while some went after a BBC reporter trying to seize his phone, other police officers held the Daily Trust reporter and forcefully collected his phone, damaging the screen.
It would be recalled that the tribunal had earlier fixed Wednesday, September 20, 2023, as the day to deliver judgment on the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress, and its candidate in the March 18 governorship election in the state, Nasir Gawuna, challenging the victory of Abba Kabir Yusuf, who was declared the winner of the election, by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
However, as the judgement is taking place in Kano today, residents have expressed apprehension on the likely aftermath of the decision of the tribunal, with many saying they would rather remain indoors to avoid being caught up in any form of violence resulting from the court verdict.
Meanwhile, both parties have expressed optimism for victory at the tribunal, noting that the judgement will favour them, based on the evidence submitted before the court.
However, it has been observed that there is palpable tension among the residents in the state, due to the high expectations of the party’s supporters who believe that their parties and candidates should get favourable judgement at the tribunal.
One of the residents Ibrahim Musa, a father of three who resides in Hotoro said, he cannot risk the tension in town by taking his children to school or going to the market.
“Remember the case of when the government came to power? The moment Abba was announced the winner in March, everything went upside down, there was destruction in the form of celebration.
“So can you imagine what will happen if the judgement goes against them, especially with all the threats everywhere,” he queried.
Similarly, Inuwa Yahaya, an operator of a cold drinks store, said when INEC announced results in March, his shop was among the ones looted, so, he has preempted the situation now by removing all his goods from his shop.
“I have emptied my shop already to avert what happened to me the last time.
“My shop was looted in the name of celebration which affected me financially for some time.
“I am not going to the market and I have directed all my shop attendants to be at home tomorrow (Wednesday) pending the outcome of the Court,” he said.
