Soldiers Drafted to Kano Over Mounting Tension

The federal government has drafted soldiers to the streets of Kano to forestall violence, following reports that religious fanatics plan to cause mayhem in the city.

PMNews gathered that soldiers from army barracks in the city have been drafted to perceived restive areas to save non-indigenes from attack by Muslim fundamentalists planning to wage a holy war in the state.

Already, there are reports of secret killings of non-natives by religious fanatics at Challawa, Kabuga, (the University Village), Rijiya Lemu, Kurna Asabe and some parts of Sheka.

Well armed soldiers were seen along Bompai, Ibrahim Taiwo Road and other areas inhabited by non-indigenes this morning.

It was also learnt that hundreds of Muslim youths have besieged the abandoned homes of non-indigenes who fled to police and military barracks last May and looted their properties.

Items like television sets, video machines, radio, refrigerators and other household goods were mindlessly looted by the fanatics.

Meanwhile, tension pervades the city as there are reports that both Muslim and Christian youths were amassing dangerous weapons like guns, cutlasses, axes, bows and arrows to attack themselves.

Religious fanatics were said to be openly soliciting for money to buy arms to prosecute what they have termed the last 'Jihad.' The fear of being attacked by fanatics, PMNews further gathered, had made many non-indigenes of Kano to decide to remain in the barracks where they fled to during the last mayhem in the city. Others were said to be fleeing towards the south to escape an impending catastrophe.

Investigation at the State Police Command also revealed that the police are not taking things lying low, as they have deployed their men to troubled zones in the city.

It would be recalled that more than 100 non-indigenes were killed last May during religious clashes in the predominantly Muslim state.