Tension erupted in Kasuwan Ali community in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State after a resident was reportedly shot dead during the All Progressives Congress primary election for the House of Representatives seat.
According to eyewitness accounts, the victim was allegedly hit by a bullet fired by soldiers who had moved to disperse protesting party supporters at the venue of the primary election.
Residents told Daily Trust that the unrest began after delays disrupted the scheduled conduct of the APC primary exercise earlier fixed for Saturday morning.
A resident identified as Ibrahim Sale, who confirmed the incident, explained that tensions rose when party members and youths became frustrated over the absence of electoral and returning officers.
“The exercise was supposed to hold on Saturday morning, but it didn’t take place because of the absence of returning officers. So the youths started protesting, alleging that the delay was deliberate,” Sale said.
According to him, some government officials who had arrived to monitor the exercise later attempted to leave the venue because electoral officials were still absent.
However, protesting youths reportedly blocked the road and prevented the officials from leaving, insisting that the primary election must be conducted before anyone departed the area.
“The youths insisted they would not leave until electoral officers arrived to conduct the primary. This drew the attention of security personnel, who moved in to disperse them,” he added.
Sale further alleged that the situation escalated after some protesters began throwing stones at security operatives.
“As soon as the security personnel arrived, the youths started throwing stones at them. The soldiers then started shooting, and a stray bullet hit the victim,” he stated.
The incident reportedly caused panic within the community as residents and party supporters fled the area following the gunshots.
As of the time of filing this report, security authorities had yet to officially release details concerning the identity of the deceased or the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The development has further heightened concerns over violence and insecurity often associated with political activities and party primaries in parts of the country.
