By Aminu Muhammad
The personnel of Kano Road Transport Agency (KAROTA) have allegedly stabbed a Point of Sale (POS) operator and brutalised many others, including women in Kano, during the recent Eid-l-Kabir Durbar in Kano.
The victim, identified as Radiyuddin Tahir, who operated a POS service in the Sabon Titin Mandawari area in Gwale of Kano State, was watching durbar before his shop when the incident happened.
Radiyuddin sustains injury in the abdomen and is currently receiving treatment at Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano.
Eyewitnesses said the KAROTA personnel became furious when they alleged that onlookers yelled at them while they were following the entourage of Kano emir.
An eyewitness, a relative of the victim, Salahuddin Nams’aiki, narrated how the incident occurred: “the emir had passed while KAROTA were in the last part of the entourage rallying with their vehicle and weapons. They headed toward onlookers, and we were watching in front of our shop. They just came and started hitting people. That was how they stabbed him and injured other people, including women.”
Another eyewitness said men of the KAROTA were passing in their vehicle rallying when some people yelled at them and started mocking them, which infuriated them to start beating people indiscriminately around the area, leading to stabbing the victim.
The young man’s parents have accused the KAROTA personnel of stabbing Radiyuddin with a knife in his business environment.
Malama Balaraba Shehu, the victim’s mother, said the unfortunate incident traumatised her because Radiyuddin has been an essential family supporter, saying, “By Allah, he [the victim] has been supportive to the family and me. My child isn’t a thug. He doesn’t smoke. Why would they beat him like this? I pray God to come to our aid.”
KAROTA Public Relations Officer Nabulusi Abubakar Kofar Na’isa, who confirmed the clash, said they were yet to get the formal report because KAROTA and other security agencies were involved in the incident, which he said was not led by KAROTA.
He stated: “There was a clash, but it was a joint task force operation which included KAROTA, NSCDC, FRSC, Police etc. not KAROTA alone is involved in the operation. And it is not KAROTA that was leading the team.
“Just like he was injured, KAROTA operatives and others were also wounded. Four KAROTA officers sustained injuries; three of them were hospitalised, but they were discharged earlier today. So we are waiting for the report of the incident before taking any action. We cannot say anything now.”
A legal practitioner in Kano, Barr Abba Hikima, said carrying weapons by KAROTA operatives contravenes Nigerian laws, adding “we often receive complaints from people on how KAROTA operatives hit people or people’s vehicles. There is no law that allows them to wield a weapon of any kind. It contravenes Nigeria’s laws. Commissioner of Police should arrest those carrying weapons because it is against public order.”
Police Public Relations Officer in Kano SP Abdullahi Kiyawa neither answered several calls to his mobile phone nor replied to a message sent to him.
The Police, however, in a statement by the spokesman Abdullahi Kiyawa said the Sallah celebration was peaceful in the State, but 85 thugs were arrested across five emirates of the State.
