Elections: Kano Red Cross trains volunteers on emergency response

The Nigerian Red Cross Society Kano state branch has commenced the training of its volunteers on rapid first aid response with a view to mitigating casualties in events of electoral violence during and after the forthcoming general elections.

The branch Executive Secretary, Red Cross Society, Alhaji Musa D. Abdullahi identified Kano as one of the flashpoints for electoral violence due to the rate of thuggery heralding the general exercise.

He described the training as very important proactive measure, saying it would help to avert loss of lives if any unfortunate incident occurs during and after the polls.

“We are conducting emergency rapid first aid training for our volunteers to be prepared in case, there are any emergency situations that need to be attended to during and after the forthcoming polls.

Kano was chosen for this training exercise based on the experiences of previous elections in some local government areas” he said.

“We have mapped out Kano and selected some LGAs based on the previous experience of electoral violence with a view to positioning EFAT personnel on ground to provide first aid services should there be any incidence,” he said.

Seventy-two participants, selected from different local government areas participated in the training which took place in two batches at the Kano State University of Technology, Wudil and Northwest University.

Among the local governments from where the volunteers were drawn are Wudil, Garko, Kibiya, Gwale, Bichi, Municipal, Nassarawa, Fagge and Ungogo, Dala, Bebeji, as well as Bunkure and Madobi local government areas.

The executive secretary said though there were no signals of violence preceding the elections, the society would not take chances in putting its personnel on alert so as to be able to rise to the occasion when the need arises.

He called on the politicians and their supporters to play the game with sanity so that no blood is shed before, during and after the polls, saying no political ambition worth human blood.