The family of a 19-year-old orphan, Lawal Idris, who was killed during the October 19 local government election in Kaduna State, has asked that the perpetrators be brought to book.
According to the family, Lawal, a local phone charger, was struck by a stray bullet while charging phones inside his shop near a polling unit in Kawo Community.
His uncle and community leader in Kawo, El-Yakub Ibn Sa’id, said he had been taking care of Lawal since his (Lawal’s) father died eight years ago.
El-Yakub expressed shock at the news of Lawal’s death, noting that the boy was not at the polling unit during the chaos.
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He claimed that security personnel deployed to the area fired tear gas and shot into the air to disperse the crowd.
“I returned home after hearing gunshots to lock my children inside, but when I inquired about Lawal, I was told he had locked himself in his shop to protect customers’ phones. About 15 minutes later, I received the news that he had been hit in the stomach by a bullet.
“His father was my immediate younger brother, and Lawal had been with me for the past eight years. I had hoped to get him a military job after his secondary school education because that was his late father’s job but his life was cut short. Allah knows best, but I leave his killer in God’s hands,” he said.
El-Yakub explained that he felt powerless but said no matter how long it took, the killers would face judgement.
He urged the community to be patient and allow the authorities to conduct their investigations, noting that the family had reported the incident to the New Barrack Police Station.
When contacted, the State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, confirmed that the family had reported the incident.
He stated that an investigation had commenced to ascertain what actually happened, as other security personnel were present at the scene that day.
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