Two killed in Bauchi State over football

BAUCHI – TWO people including a mother of five were reportedly killed by soldiers while several others were injured, yesterday, following crisis that broke out in Yelwa, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis over football.

The woman, identified as Charity Augustine, from Oturkpo in Benue State, was allegedly shot  in her husband’s house, at 14 Street, Anguwan Ngas, while another unidentified boy was killed by alleged officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence drafted to quell the crisis at Anguwan Ngas.

The trouble was said to have started at the Baba Tanko SecondarySchool in Kagadama area of the state capital forcing the Yelwa market and shops in the area to be closed.

It was learnt that there was disagreement over a game of football in the school, but the situation degenerated and snowballed into a full blown crisis. Soldiers and mobile policemen including those from the anti-bomb squad were said to have been mobilised to Yelwa to quell the trouble.

However, there is still uneasy calm in Rafin Zurfi and Gwallemeji even as residents in Anguwan Labourer, Anguwan Gas, Anguwan Kashua as the residents of the areas now live in palpable fear of possible spillover of the riot.

Speaking with newsmen at the Yelwa police station, late Charity’s husband and a retired banker, Mr. Augustine Igbo said: “I have never seen this kind of thing before. It started on Wednesday around 6 pm. We were in church when we heard there was tension in Yelwa and ran away as there was confusion everywhere. “

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By Suzan Edeh