The killing of a teenager by a negligent police officer has caused a rift between the leadership of the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) and the Kano State Police Command.
The police stated that the teenager's death had nothing to do with the protest, despite the NNPP's claims that the teenager was killed by the policeman during a peaceful protest in the state.
On Wednesday, however, a statement linked to Hon. Abba Kawu Ali, the NNPP's Acting National Chairman, condemned the teenager's brutal death and demanded an investigation into the events leading up to his demise.
“The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) hereby brings to the attention of Nigerians and the world at large that the Nigeria Police have shot dead a young man, Salisu Player, somewhere around Kurna in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State.
“He is one of the three people shot, while the others are in critical condition. The incident occurred yesterday evening during a peaceful protest.
“The NNPP has always asked the citizens to do their protest in a peaceful manner, and the protest around Kurna where Salisu Player was shot, though spontaneous, was not different.
“It would appear that men of the Nigeria Police are ill-trained for handling even peaceful protests, as we regret the recorded death, which is painful and unfortunate.
“We commiserate with the friends and family of the deceased as we urge all the people of Kano to remain calm and restrained from acting outside the rule of law,” Hon. Abba Kawu Ali stated.
The claims made by the acting chairman of the NNPP, Hon. Ali, were swiftly refuted by SP Abdullahi Haruna, the spokesperson for the Kano Police Command.
SP Haruna said, “This is misleading, as the incident has nothing to do with any protest.”
Information that is currently available revealed that , the incident that resulted in the teenager's death happened while the police officer was trying to break up rivalry groups during a fight in Kurna region of the state.
However, the deceased's friends took to the streets to protest the killing, barricading the Kano-Katsina-Daura highway and demanding justice for their loved one.
