For the third time,
the House of Representatives member representing Malumfashi/Kafur
federal constituency, Hon. Ibrahim Babangida, has been attacked by an
angry mob in his Katsina home state.
The first was said to be during the 2011 general elections, when factions within the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, were battling for supremacy as to who gets to contest for key political positions.
Youths who were from another faction different from the lawmaker’s were said to have attacked him because they felt he was being imposed on them when they had their own candidate who was also interested in the same seat.
The second time was during the public hearing on constitutional amendment which held at his constituency and across all constituencies in the country.
The third took place in Masari, in Kafur council area at the wedding event of daughter to former Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari. Babangida, like every other political office holder from the state elected on the platform of the defunct CPC, had moved to Masari community for the wedding event. The lawmaker was said to be coming out of the wedding reception area with some of his associates when several angry youths began shouting abusive words at him and later descended on him with sticks and other dangerous weapons.
He was said to have been beaten and bruised and his clothes torn in several places, with the incident reported to have taken place in the full glare of politicians and members of the public.
A source who spoke to National Mirror on condition of anonymity, said the angry youths had based their actions on the lawmaker’s alleged habit of “neglecting them and not coming from time to time to give them their share of the national cake he was getting in Abuja.”
He alleged that the lawmaker, having worked as a banker and with the Federal Internal Revenue Service, FIRS, was not given to dishing out money to members of his constituency as other politicians were in the habit of doing. It was because of this, he said, that the lawmaker had to send an undisclosed amount of money to be shared to specific group of people in his constituency including youths, some few days before the wedding event.
He, however, said that the money was hijacked by some few greedy people which made just a few benefit from the money, with many others not getting a dime.
“The anger expressed by those unable to get anything from the money along those that got N1, 000 or even less, was mostly the genesis of what led to the angry mob attack.
“Moreover, the lawmaker does not like visiting his constituency and he seldom picks his calls when members of his constituency want to speak with him. His doling out the money shortly before the wedding was to create a soft landing for him to enable him come to his constituency without facing a mob of angry youths,” the source said.
Another source said the youths at first wanted the lawmaker to give them money, but when it seemed he would not budge, they began accusing him of neglecting them and giving them pittance when he was supposed to have done more.
He said that the youths became embolden and some of them began calling him names; then they became aggressive and began pulling of his clothes while others hit him with whatever they had in their hands.
He said the police waded into the issue by firing several shots to scare the angry youths away when it seemed the incident could create a security challenge. He said that the police then took the lawmaker to their station in Malumfashi council area where he was kept hidden for several hours before being released thereafter.
Another eyewitness, Bala Malumfashi, gave a vivid account of what happened: “On Friday, August 16, several people, including politicians and well wishers, had gathered in Masari for the wedding of the daughter of the former House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Bello Masari.
“We went to a neighbouring mosque for the wedding event and came back to Rt. Hon. Masari’s house for the re-ception. After the reception, some people began trooping out of the house to leave for their various destinations.
“At the entrance gate of the house, several youths stationed themselves and when Hon. Babangida was about to come out, they began shouting abusive words at him, calling him names like ‘Barawo ne’, ‘Karya ne’, that is ‘He’s a thief’, ‘He’s a liar’. “Before people could know what was happening, a young boy of not more than 25 or so, stepped toward the lawmaker and slapped him on the face. This embolden the rest and they descended on him.
“They used sticks torn from nearby tree branches, stones, mud and anything they could lay hands on and beat him, tore his clothes, pinched him, while others kicked him. “The distance from Masari’s house gate to the main road was about 200 metres, but the youths continued to hit him for the whole of that distance as he tried to escape from them.
“At one time, they took his cap, filled it with mud, forced it back on his head until it reached the back of his ears. They then took off the cap and played with it like football. “When the beating was becoming intense, the lawmaker cried out to some policemen that were close by saying, ‘Won’t you help me or do you want them to kill me?’
“The policemen then fired their guns into the air like 10 times or so, which dispersed the youths; they quickly bundled him into their vehicle and drove away with him.”
When National Mirror contacted the spokesman of the Katsina Police Command, DSP Aminu Sadik Abubakar, on the incident, he said he was on leave and that the Commissioner of Police be contacted instead.
However, the CP, Mohammed Hurdi, did not answer calls put through his line just as he did not respond to text messages. Reacting to the incident, the lawmaker denied being beaten by the youths nor was he hospitalised due to the incident but alleged that the attack was masterminded by someone after his life.
He also denied being previously attacked in his constituency and that he had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, through the state CP for the matter to be “thoroughly investigated”.
When asked about the person after his life, the lawmaker said he would not name the person as doing so could jeopardise police investigation. He described as unfortunate media reports that he was injured by the angry youths, saying the attack was the handiwork of some politicians who were not happy with his developmental strides inhis constituency.
Speaking in way that suggests he might have been attacked after all, the lawmaker said: “Whoever carries a knife and moves toward you, his aim is to kill you. That is why I have already petitioned the Commissioner of Police that they have to go and investigate it thoroughly, because somebody is after my life.”
Babangida added: “I didn’t even take panadol for the attack. They only threw stones and mud, because the majority of the people around were my supporters, they couldn’t do anything.”
The first was said to be during the 2011 general elections, when factions within the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, were battling for supremacy as to who gets to contest for key political positions.
Youths who were from another faction different from the lawmaker’s were said to have attacked him because they felt he was being imposed on them when they had their own candidate who was also interested in the same seat.
The second time was during the public hearing on constitutional amendment which held at his constituency and across all constituencies in the country.
The third took place in Masari, in Kafur council area at the wedding event of daughter to former Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari. Babangida, like every other political office holder from the state elected on the platform of the defunct CPC, had moved to Masari community for the wedding event. The lawmaker was said to be coming out of the wedding reception area with some of his associates when several angry youths began shouting abusive words at him and later descended on him with sticks and other dangerous weapons.
He was said to have been beaten and bruised and his clothes torn in several places, with the incident reported to have taken place in the full glare of politicians and members of the public.
A source who spoke to National Mirror on condition of anonymity, said the angry youths had based their actions on the lawmaker’s alleged habit of “neglecting them and not coming from time to time to give them their share of the national cake he was getting in Abuja.”
He alleged that the lawmaker, having worked as a banker and with the Federal Internal Revenue Service, FIRS, was not given to dishing out money to members of his constituency as other politicians were in the habit of doing. It was because of this, he said, that the lawmaker had to send an undisclosed amount of money to be shared to specific group of people in his constituency including youths, some few days before the wedding event.
He, however, said that the money was hijacked by some few greedy people which made just a few benefit from the money, with many others not getting a dime.
“The anger expressed by those unable to get anything from the money along those that got N1, 000 or even less, was mostly the genesis of what led to the angry mob attack.
“Moreover, the lawmaker does not like visiting his constituency and he seldom picks his calls when members of his constituency want to speak with him. His doling out the money shortly before the wedding was to create a soft landing for him to enable him come to his constituency without facing a mob of angry youths,” the source said.
Another source said the youths at first wanted the lawmaker to give them money, but when it seemed he would not budge, they began accusing him of neglecting them and giving them pittance when he was supposed to have done more.
He said that the youths became embolden and some of them began calling him names; then they became aggressive and began pulling of his clothes while others hit him with whatever they had in their hands.
He said the police waded into the issue by firing several shots to scare the angry youths away when it seemed the incident could create a security challenge. He said that the police then took the lawmaker to their station in Malumfashi council area where he was kept hidden for several hours before being released thereafter.
Another eyewitness, Bala Malumfashi, gave a vivid account of what happened: “On Friday, August 16, several people, including politicians and well wishers, had gathered in Masari for the wedding of the daughter of the former House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Bello Masari.
“We went to a neighbouring mosque for the wedding event and came back to Rt. Hon. Masari’s house for the re-ception. After the reception, some people began trooping out of the house to leave for their various destinations.
“At the entrance gate of the house, several youths stationed themselves and when Hon. Babangida was about to come out, they began shouting abusive words at him, calling him names like ‘Barawo ne’, ‘Karya ne’, that is ‘He’s a thief’, ‘He’s a liar’. “Before people could know what was happening, a young boy of not more than 25 or so, stepped toward the lawmaker and slapped him on the face. This embolden the rest and they descended on him.
“They used sticks torn from nearby tree branches, stones, mud and anything they could lay hands on and beat him, tore his clothes, pinched him, while others kicked him. “The distance from Masari’s house gate to the main road was about 200 metres, but the youths continued to hit him for the whole of that distance as he tried to escape from them.
“At one time, they took his cap, filled it with mud, forced it back on his head until it reached the back of his ears. They then took off the cap and played with it like football. “When the beating was becoming intense, the lawmaker cried out to some policemen that were close by saying, ‘Won’t you help me or do you want them to kill me?’
“The policemen then fired their guns into the air like 10 times or so, which dispersed the youths; they quickly bundled him into their vehicle and drove away with him.”
When National Mirror contacted the spokesman of the Katsina Police Command, DSP Aminu Sadik Abubakar, on the incident, he said he was on leave and that the Commissioner of Police be contacted instead.
However, the CP, Mohammed Hurdi, did not answer calls put through his line just as he did not respond to text messages. Reacting to the incident, the lawmaker denied being beaten by the youths nor was he hospitalised due to the incident but alleged that the attack was masterminded by someone after his life.
He also denied being previously attacked in his constituency and that he had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, through the state CP for the matter to be “thoroughly investigated”.
When asked about the person after his life, the lawmaker said he would not name the person as doing so could jeopardise police investigation. He described as unfortunate media reports that he was injured by the angry youths, saying the attack was the handiwork of some politicians who were not happy with his developmental strides inhis constituency.
Speaking in way that suggests he might have been attacked after all, the lawmaker said: “Whoever carries a knife and moves toward you, his aim is to kill you. That is why I have already petitioned the Commissioner of Police that they have to go and investigate it thoroughly, because somebody is after my life.”
Babangida added: “I didn’t even take panadol for the attack. They only threw stones and mud, because the majority of the people around were my supporters, they couldn’t do anything.”
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