Police in Katsina State have arrested three suspects following an outbreak of violence in Yankara, Faskari Local Government Area, which left a vehicle burnt and political posters destroyed.
The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday, shortly after Governor Dikko Radda travelled through the community on his way to an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign rally in Faskari.
According to the police, a crowd blocked a road, threw stones and set political posters ablaze, while the situation later escalated with the burning of a Toyota Sienna vehicle belonging to a campaign supporter.
The vehicle, popularly known as Sharon, reportedly developed a mechanical fault and was parked by the roadside after its driver left for the campaign venue.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Aliyu, described the incident as suspected political thuggery, adding that investigations were ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the violence.
Police operatives from the Faskari Division, working alongside other security agencies, reportedly dispersed the crowd and arrested three suspects identified as Garba Shu’aibu, 25; Salmanu Ibrahim, 18; and Nazifi Hussaini, 30.
The police said efforts were ongoing to track down other individuals who escaped during the operation.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ali Umar Fage, warned political parties and their supporters against acts of violence during election campaigns. He also assured residents that anyone found responsible would face prosecution.
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However, the Katsina State Government had earlier disputed reports linking the disturbance to Governor Radda’s campaign activities.
In a statement signed by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, the government said preliminary findings suggested that the incident resulted from a disagreement between participants in a Maulud procession and security personnel over designated routes.
The government maintained that the disturbance had no connection with the governor’s campaign rally, noting that Radda passed through Yankara without incident, visited the district head’s palace and later attended the rally in Faskari.
It also called on security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation while urging residents and media organisations to avoid spreading unverified reports capable of escalating tensions.
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