JUST IN! Ex-minister, Assembly Speaker Escape Lynching By Thugs In Jigawa

Suspected political thugs reportedly caused mayhem during a political gathering in Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa state as a former minister escaped being injured. 

Political thugs stormed into the house of former Nigeria’s minister of commerce, Bello Maitama, vandalised two of his official vehicles and that of the speaker, Jigawa State house of Assembly, Isa Idris, PREMIUM TIMES reports.

Former Nigeria’s minister of commerce, Bello Maitama

Mr Maitama, a commerce minister during the regime of military junta, Ibrahim Babangida, was chairing a reconciliation meeting with aggrieved members of the APC in his resident in Gwaram Local Government Area when thugs disrupted the process and attempted to lynch the minister. 

A witness, who was part of the reconciliation committee, told journalists that it took the combined efforts of the security agencies to whisk away the ex-minister and the speaker but their vehicles were not spared. He said the security agencies had to fire gunshots into the air to disperse the gathering of the thugs, highlighting that if that move was not made, the situation might have turned more violent. 

The ex-minister, on Saturday, was chairing a reconciliation committee meeting which was aimed at bringing back to fold the aggrieved members of the ruling APC in the state. Recently, the governor, Mohammad Badaru, constituted a reconciliation committee that will bring together all aggrieved members of the APC in the state. 

The attackers were believed to be sponsored by other local politicians in Gwaram who have been nursing grudges with the council boss, Abdulmalik Shehu, whom they accuse of not running an inclusive government. A witness told reporters that politics in Gwaram has been tense, ever since the council boss was installed by the state authority. He has allegedly not been carrying along members of the party at grass root. 

Unfortunately for the attackers, the council chairman and his deputy escaped through back fence but their vehicles were also vandalised by the thugs. Jigawa police spokesperson, Audu Jinjiri, however, downplayed the situation, saying that it was just a fight between political thugs, after the meeting with the ex-minister. He explained that the event happened over the weekend and that the police have arrested ten suspects with regard to the violence. Five persons were injured and are currently receiving treatment, he said.