By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
Tension flared in Turabu town, Kirikasamma Local Government Area of Jigawa State, on Saturday when some residents expressed displeasure during the visit of the member representing Birniwa/Guri/Kirikasamma Federal Constituency, Dr. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, at a public event.
The incident occurred during the flag-off of a road construction project by Governor Umar Namadi. Witnesses said the disruption was triggered by discontent among a section of the crowd, who reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of some political officeholders in the area.
An eyewitness, Yakubu Hudu, told National Update that the programme had initially proceeded smoothly until the local government chairman attempted to speak. “Some of the youth resisted his attempt to address them. When it was the turn of the House of Representatives member to speak, there were loud boos from parts of the crowd,” he said.
According to him, the situation was eventually calmed when the governor intervened to continue with the flag-off ceremony. However, moments later, tension reportedly resurfaced when the lawmaker and some local officials attempted to leave the venue, prompting security personnel to step in to maintain order.
Another source at the venue alleged that security operatives fired warning shots into the air to disperse the restive crowd. There were no reports of casualties at the time of filing this report.
A similar scene was said to have occurred at the main venue of a Citizens’ Engagement Programme in Kiri-Kasamma town, where residents were invited to interact with state and federal representatives. The event, however, ended abruptly due to what observers described as “poor coordination” and “security concerns.”
Some residents who spoke on condition of anonymity attributed the unrest to growing frustration among constituents over what they described as “a lack of tangible representation.”
Findings by National Update indicate that Dr. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, who chairs the House of Representatives Committee on University Education, is currently serving his third term as the representative of the Birniwa/Guri/Kirikasamma Federal Constituency.