One person has been feared killed at the venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State following a confrontation between youths and security personnel over delays in the exercise.
The deceased, identified as Sani Abdullahi, a resident of Kasuwan Ali community in Mangu Local Government Area, was reportedly shot during the chaos that erupted at the primary election venue.
Eyewitness Ibrahim Sale said the trouble began when party members and supporters protested the delay in the commencement of the exercise, which was scheduled for Saturday morning.
According to him, the disruption followed the failure of returning officers to arrive on time, which stalled the electoral process.
“The exercise was supposed to hold on Saturday morning, but it did not take place due to the absence of returning officers. So the youths started protesting, alleging that the delay was deliberate,” Sale said.
He further explained that tensions escalated when government officials who had come to observe the exercise left the venue due to the absence of electoral officers.
“As this was going on, government officials who came to witness the exercise decided to leave because of the absence of the electoral officers,” he said.
Sale added that some aggrieved youths blocked the exit route, insisting that the officials should not leave until electoral officers arrived to conduct the primary.
“The youths insisted that they would not leave until electoral officers arrived and conducted the primary,” he said.
According to him, the situation worsened when security personnel were deployed to disperse the protesting youths.
“This drew the attention of security personnel, who moved in to disperse them,” Sale said.
He said the confrontation escalated when some youths began throwing stones at the security operatives, prompting a response that led to gunfire.
“As soon as the security personnel arrived, the youths started throwing stones at them. The security personnel then started shooting, and a stray bullet hit the victim, killing him,” he said.
The incident caused panic and confusion at the venue, with residents and party members condemning the killing and calling for an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Authorities were yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of press time.
