Like the invasion of Entebe Airport by the Israelites in the early 80s during the reign of President Idi Amin Dada in Uganda, the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kaduna State Council, was overran on Sunday, July 31, 2017 in a commando style by a group of yet to be identifi ed political hoodlums.
What was slated to be a press conference organized by a group of politicians under the “AKIDA APC” banner almost turned out bloody as hoodlums who claimed they were used and dumped by a certain political offi ce holder, who was also a part of the press conference, invaded the place.
As the conference was on and Senators Sulaiman Hunkuyi and Shehu Sani fi nished their address on the modus operandi used in selecting delegates for the national secretariat of APC in Abuja, shout of some strange fellows, mostly youths, rented the air at the entrance of the secretariat. Initially, the police were able to repel them, but the mob started throwing stones.
Th e youths, who were believed to have been organized, forced their way into the venue of the conference after deceiving the police offi cer that they were supporters of Senator Sani. Immediately they gained access into the venue they turned wild, destroying anything in sight.
In the melee that followed, the photographer of Liberty Television, Kaduna who was trying to save his camera was beaten up and seriously injured.
Th ey used machetes, knives, stick and other dangerous weapons to attack people including journalists. Everybody was looking for an escape route except some journalists who challenged the thugs and recovered the television camera which they intend to bolt away with after it was smashed. Th ey also carried placards with inscription “No More Shehu Sani For 2019”.
Th ose organizers, which included the two APC senators, members of House Representatives, both former and current and other political leaders of APC Akida, were ferried to safety by journalists. Many tools belonging to journalists were stolen by the hoodlums.
After the unfortunate incident, many commentators have refused to take one more step to fi nd out how the invasion happened and who the sponsors of these young men are. Many of the commentators went on air to accuse the state governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmed ElRufai, as the master mind.
It is absurd for people, without any iota of truth to back their allegations, to resort to blackmailing the man they hate to love. What we are witnessing today in Kaduna political scene, is the impunity of two friends who fell apart because of power. We have to deal with the truth around us and stop pointing accusing fi ngers at an innocent person just because he is holding a political offi ce or diff ers in opinion.
We cannot deny the rift between Senator Shehu Sani and his childhood friend, Uba Sani, on who should be the next senator representing Kaduna Central at the National Assembly come 2019. Th eir foot soldiers should behave decently instead of taking on Governor El-Rufai with a raft of allegations which they cannot prove.
Th ere are no questions that both friends turned political enemies were introduced to this reporter in the 80s by the late legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, at Hamdala Hotel, Kaduna. Th e two friends would never agree to establish what their diff erences are and fi nd solutions to them.
Th e two Kaduna untouchables should be monitored before they cause crisis that may be hard to control. Good enough, according to reports, the state governor is highly disturbed by the development that he had vowed to leave no stone unturned to unravel those behind the shameful act and public disgrace. Tajudeen Ajibade Tijjani, Kaduna’
