Investigate reported attacks on journalists, voters in Kano supplementary poll, AI tells Nigerian govt

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Human rights group, Amnesty International, has called on the Nigerian government to investigate the violent attack on voters and journalists during the supplementary governorship election in Kano State on Saturday.

The group made the demand in a message posted on Twitter on Wednesday.

“Amnesty International is calling Nigerian authorities @MBuhari @ProfOsinbajo to investigate allegations of widespread violence & intimidation unleashed on voters and journalists during Saturday’s re-run election in Kano.

“The unprecedented violence in Kano also led to fatalities,” the group said through its Twitter handle@AmnestyNigeria.

There were reports of widespread violence during the supplementary election in Kano.

One report said some journalists covering the elections escaped being lynched by suspected thugs at Suntulma Primary School in Gama ward, Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state.

Abdullahi Ganduje, the governor of Kano, who ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the election. But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the election result.

Several groups, including the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), said the election was characterised by violence and other irregularities.

“Extensive electoral security problems were observed in some areas, with groups of men with weapons intimidating and obstructing the process, and security agencies ineffective at protecting citizens’ right to vote,” the EU said in its report.

“In particular, parts of Kano were largely inaccessible to EU observers, and citizen observers and journalists were also obstructed. EU observers also witnessed increased interference by party agents and cases of vote-buying.”