Some angry youths, who disrupted the swearing in of Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai by hauling stones, sachets of water and other objects at the venue yesterday have confessed that their target was the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, whom they accused of being the agent of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
They said that the Emir had shown open hatred for governor Nasiru el-Rufai, citing an example of when the emir refused to grant audience to the governor on three occasions during the campaigns.
“He is a supporter of PDP and we don’t expect to see him here because during the campaigns, El-Rufai visited him three times but he refused to grant him audience. His presence at the swearing in is out of hypocrisy,” one of the youths said.
The youths started throwing stones and shoes at the Emir when he was invited to the podium to present his address shortly after the governor took his oath of office.
The Murtala Square, venue of the event was thrown into confusion as the security agencies struggled to control the situation.
The rioting youths had a running battle with the police as they continued to throw stones and shoes directed at the emir who was seated at the VIP stand among other guests.
The police pursued the hoodlums who were throwing stones from different directions, but when such effort became fruitless, they threw teargas at them.
The emir was immediately taken to one of the guest waiting rooms at the Murtala square by armed police men where he was kept before he was eventually smuggled out of the place.
The programme which started on an exciting mood suddenly came to an abrupt end as people quickly left the venue.
It was learnt that youths took advantage of the relaxed security at the venue of the event. They smuggled in stones in their pockets with a view to attack the former governor of the state, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero and the emir. However, Yero did not turn up for the event. [myad]
