How We Escaped Death At Govt House’

‘Saturday, 07 May 2011 22:37 Shehu Umar, Gusau

Two journalists deployed to cover the governorship election in Zamfara State have given a graphic account of how they escaped death in the hands of supporters of incumbent governor Mahmud Shinkafi.

According to Zamfara State LEADERSHIP reporter, one of the victims of the assault, the incident occurred in the Government House, venue of a proposed broadcast by the governor, a day after the election results were announced.

Trouble started when the other victim, Sani Abdullahi Tsafe, of Voice of America walked into the arena and the supporters began to chant that he should be killed.

Supporters of the governor, who felt the VOA reporter was responsible for Shinkafi’s defeat, started throwing objects at him while others chased him into the governor’s sittingroom where he took refuge.

According to our reporter, at that moment, the governor who had come out to address the press was attracted by tumultuous shout of people who all vowed to lynch the reporter.

The supporters were said to have claimed that Tsafe’s offence was preempting their alleged election rigging plan on the radio.

Our reporter gathered that Tsafe had aired a report on Radio Zamfara announcing the results of the election ahead of the official results by INEC on Wednesday.  The radio station stated that the defeated governor was leading with votes contrary to INEC figures at that time, and the abduction of INEC returning officer from Bungudu local government who was taken to Government House and ordered to alter the results sheet.

Narrating his ordeal and that of the other journalist in the hands of the aggrieved supporters, the LEADERSHIP reporter said: “While the melee was going on, I received a phone call from the LEADERSHIP editor in the Abuja office asking about the particular assignment. As the editor was speaking to me, a group of thugs numbering about 20 surrounded me and asked who I was speaking to. Before I even answered them, somebody snatched the phone from my hand to ascertain the receiver of my call.

“They started hitting me with objects available to them thereby inflicting various degrees of injuries on me. I was groaning in pain. I ran into the governor’s sitting-room where he was seated to address journalists. The governor quickly stood up when he saw my bleeding face.

“He took me to a toilet in the sitting room where I washed my face, and he asked me to stay inside the toilet as he quickly rushed to his apartment and brought his personal kaftan and cap for me to wear because my clothes were badly torn. All my personal belongings including my cell phone were stolen.

“The mob then gathered outside the house vowing to lynch any journalist that attempted to come out.  All the journalists present were escorted by armed policemen outside the governor’s residence that appeared to be death trap.”

Our reporter added that he was then taken to the Federal Medical Centre Gusau, for medical attention. The doctor that stitched the broken lips asked whether the reporter was involved in an auto crash or had fallen prey to political thugs. While in the room receiving treatment, Umar saw a badly injured young man who allegedly received cuts from a machete and had blood dripping from his bed. He was also a victim of political thuggery

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