Controversy as vigilantes injure bride’s eye during wedding party

A bride, Khadija Abdullahi, has allegedly been wounded in her eye by vigilantes at Dantamashe town, Ungogo LGA of Kano State during her wedding party.

The incident, which happened over the weekend in the evening, left the bride with a bandaged eye, when she was supposed to be conveyed to her new home.

According to witnesses, vigilante members were invited to stop the local party, also known as DJ, organised by the bride, which later generated controversy and a stone that was hurled hitting her in one of her eyes.

They said some neighbours of the bride’s family called the attention of the vigilantes to the party, following a total ban on such gatherings by the community elders.

• UN, ECOWAS warn Nigeria against election violence
• NIGERIA DAILY: How Metering By Distribution Company Is Compounding Huge Problems For Customers

Also speaking on the incident, the bride said she could only remember when the vigilante officers arrived at the place, as she later saw herself on a hospital bed.

“We were busy with our party when I saw the vigilantes—about 10 of them coming. They started beating people, saying that the party would not hold. From there, I didn’t know what happened, I just found myself on a hospital bed with a wounded eye,” she said.

On his part, the groom, Hamisu Bala, described the incident as a deliberate move to destroy their happiness and called on the authorities to fight for the rights of his bride.

“We won’t forgive anyone that did this on our happiest day. We want the authorities concerned to act. It was deliberate since they knew it was a wedding party.”

But the vigilante group in the LGA said their men did not touch anybody at the place and that the grudge was between the people and a committee that banned a party (called DJ) in the area.

“We didn’t do anything there. It was a committee that banned DJ in the area. As we speak, we are at the police command with all the people involved,” the commandant of the vigilante in the LGA, Naziru Abubakar Adamu, said.

However, the Kano State Police Command said it has arrested two people in connection with the incident and that they would be charged in court after the investigation.