Gov Candidate Assassinated •Gov’s Brother, 5 Others killed •Boko Haram Fingered

Posted by admin Latest Politics Saturday, January 29th, 2011

Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, witnessed pandemonium on Friday following the killing of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate in the forthcoming April poll,

Alhaji Modi Fannani Gubio, and six other persons, including blood brother of Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, Alhaji Goni Modu Sheriff.

The men were killed by gunmen suspected to be members of the outlawed Boko Haram who have been terrorising the state.

Saturday Tribune equally gathered that three other men were shot on Baga Road, a few hours after the incident that killed the ANPP standard bearer and others.

Saturday Tribune gathered that the incident occurred at about 2:15 pm when the gubernatorial candidate, accompanied by his brothers and some party faithful, visited his family house after performing the Friday Jumma’at Prayer at the Central Mosque situated at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai el-Kanemi in Lawan Bukar area.

According to an eyewitness, the gunmen, who came on a motorcycle, were fully armed.

During the incident, a 12 year-old boy who was selling kolanut and shoe maker were also felled by the bullets.

Another account stated that late Gubio was killed after he went and greeted his father and came out along with four others.

The source told Saturday Tribune that “he came out after he went to his family house and greeted his father.

“When he came out, he crossed over to the main road to greet the youth who were in a shed carrying his posters and other children hailing him. Suddenly, there were gun-shots.

“We saw some people on motorcycle and everybody started running for dear lives. By the time people started coming out, we saw blood everywhere and we were told that they shot him and six other people dead. Soldiers have carried their bodies to the Teaching hospital.”

According to him, those who were killed alongside the ANPP gubernatorial candidate are: a young boy selling kolanut, a shoe maker, an orange seller, Governor Sheriff’s younger brother, Goni Modu Sheriff and two securitymen attached to the gubernatorial candidate.

Confirming the incident, the Borno State Police Commisioner, Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar, told newsmen that he received the information that seven people were shot dead at Lawan Bukar area.

He said he was also preparing to go out with his team to the scene of the incident.

He, however, said that the command was doing everything possible to unravel the killers and that those who perpetrated such act would be investigated and brought to book .

Gunio was born in Gubio town on August 28 1960. He started his elementary education in Mafoni Primary School, Maiduguri in 1966 and completed in 1972. He Attended Yerwa Government Secondary School between 1 973 and 1977.

Thereafter, he enrolled into the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he obtained his B.Sc. in Building Engineering.
It would be recalled that the late Gubio was anointed by Governor Sheriff a few weeks ago and went into the party’s primary where he emerged as the ANPP gubernatorial candidate with 515 votes out of the total 709 votes cast.

Before his untimely death, he was the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development in the state and he is survived by his wife, Hajiya Hauwa, a management staff member of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Maiduguri Main Branch and five children.

Borno State governor, Senator Sheriff, who drove into the Government House amidst tight security, was visibly shaken.
He stayed for only two minutes and drove out.

He could not even speak to the press.

However, when Saturday Tribune visited the scene of the incident the whole area was deserted, with security patrolling the area.

It could be recalled that the serial killings in Maiduguri started mid last year when the suspected Boko Haram members embarked on revenge killings as a result of the death of their leader, Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf.

The seven bodies are currently at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

Saturday Tribune gathered that the late gubernatorial candidate will be buried today by 9.00 a.m. while the governor’s brother will be buried at 10.00 a.m.

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the news of the murder, by suspected assassins, of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) gubernatorial candidate for Borno State, Alhaji Fannani Gubio, came to him as a shock.

A statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ima Niboro, on Friday noted that the president, who is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the 16th African Union Summit, condemned the killing and wanted security agencies to find those behind it.

The president maintained that the era of do-or-die politics in Nigeria was over and those who want to take the country back to that arbitrary past had no place in Nigeria.

President Jonathan condoled with the government and people of Borno State as well as the families of those who were killed in cold blood and prayed Allah to grant repose to their souls.

-Tribunewp_posts