Crowd pelt, boo ex-Governor Aliyu in Niger

It took the intervention of soldiers who fired tear gas and several gunshots in the air to prevent mob attack on the immediate past Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, at the inauguration of the newly elected governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello yesterday.

Aliyu was booed and pelted by the angry crowd which also called him names.

The former governor, whose convoy arrived Bako Kotangora Stadium Minna venue of the inauguration ceremony at about 10.15 am, was booed on arrival by the crowd as he climbed the podium to take the salute of the military guard.

Shouts of ‘Change has come’ and ‘Your time is past, go’ filled the air as soon as the former governor arrived the venue.

Sensing the tension, the organisers of the ceremony had to drop the idea of the outgoing governor making a speech. Instead, the Secretary to the State Government, Seidu Ndako Kpaki, spoke on behalf of the government.

At about 11 am when the new governor was taking his oaths of office and allegiance, Aliyu, who sat beside his estranged deputy, Hon. Ahmed Musa Ibeto in the public for the first time since the latter dumped the PDP, was pelted with slippers and sachet water, forcing his security detail to form a human shield around him.

But angry youths were not deterred by the security ring around the former governor who was there in company with his wife, Jumai, as he was further pelted with sachet water and stones.

Soldiers were later drafted around the VIP stand of the stadium to put the crowd on check. But when the scourge persisted, the military men fired gunshots into the air while also firing tear gas canisters to scare away the angry crowd, leading to stampede at the stadium.

This left room for the ex-governor’s security detail to ferry him and his wife out of the stadium through the back door.

An aide to the ex-governor said security and intelligence reports had advised Aliyu not to attend the inauguration due to the public perception of his administration as non-performing, but Aliyu was said to have waved the warning aside and insisted on attending the event.

Oaths were administered on the new governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello and his deputy, Alhaji Mohammed Ketso, by the Chief Judge of Niger State, Justice Lami Abubakar.