By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Thugs and supporters of Senator Ali Ndume, who is representing Borno South Senatorial District at the National Assembly clashed in Biu town of Biu LGA of the State during an arranged Borno South APC delegates meeting with an APC Presidential Aspirant, Chief Rotimi Amaechi who is on a nation wide campaign tour on Thursday.
Our correspondent gathered that the clash erupted when Senator Ali Ndume in his capacity as the Director General of Chief Rotimi Amaechi Presidential Campaign Team, held an impromptu and unsupported APC delegates meeting in Biu Town, ahead of the party’s primaries.
An eye witness, who is also a member of the APC delegates from Waka Ward of Biu town, Alhaji Mohammed Waka confirmed the incident to our correspondent in a telephone conservation saying, “The whole incident started when a strange sound erupted at the venue, when we started hearing people shouting.”.
” Then we saw children running towards the scene and in reaching the scene, the gate of the lodge was locked but a lot of people were seen gathered including youths and women with some wounded.
“Myself and some friends also saw political thugs and some supporters of Senator Ali Ndume in not less than three vehicles being conveyed to Biu General Hospital , where it was confirmed at the hospital that about 32 thugs and supporters sustained various degree of wounds from the clash”.
“Actually, what happened is a disagreement between the political thugs and supporters of Senator Ndume over the holding of APC delegates meeting in the lodge that Chief Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Ali Ndume lodged. The meeting was disrupted and truncated by aggrieved APC thugs on the basis that the Senator can not hold the delegates meeting ahead of the scheduled APC State Primaries.
“Then the disruption and arguments that ensued between the thugs and supporters of Senator culminated into physical assaults, fight, & exchange of blows, while the duo went into hiding as they could not be seen around the scene as the lodge was finally locked and security operatives stationed at the gate and premises of the lodge,” Mohammed said.
A health personnel at the Biu General Hospital (name withheld), however, confirmed that some people were brought to the hospital with various injuries sustained but some were treated and left, while others are still responding to treatment at the hospital.
“Yes but assure me ,my name will not be quoted. We actually received some wounded people numbering about 32 people. Some have been tested and discharged while some are still responding to treatment . That is all i can say”, the source said.
However, it also gathered from a reliable sources in Biu Town that about 16 injured people from the scene of the clash were rushed to private hospitals within the Biu, town for treatment.
A resident of Biu town, Malam Musa Audu told our correspondent that the issue of clash between supporters of Senator Ndume and other political thugs usually occurred, whenever Senator Ndume is in Biu.
“Now that he is seeking re-election to return to the senate for the third term, definitely, one should expect a clash. It is a usual thing expect his entry into Biu town is with the governor’s convoy. If not, there have always been clashes whenever he is in town. Today that he is in Biu town for political activities or reason, we expected a clash or fight will erupt.
“Because this is not the first time such a clash is taking place whenever he is in Biu. It is a normal situation that such thing do happens whenever we see Senator Ndume around in town for political activities”, he said.
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