PDP lawmaker allegedly breaks law: Beats ANPP woman to a coma
*Police confirm incidence
*As Kano Assembly members arrested
By NASIRU MUHAMMAD
a pdp member of the Kano state House of Assembly, Hon. Labaran Abdu Maderi, has been arrested by the police for allegedly manhandling a female ANPP stalwart, one Hajiya Habiba, from Warawa local government area of Kano state.
According to an eye witness account, the lawmaker, representing Warawa constituency, went bersek and beat the hell out of the female politician, who was eventually rescued by the police and later rushed to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, for medical treatment.
Weekend Triumph was reliably informed that the unfortunate incident occurred yesterday at Warawa police division, when the victim went to lodge a complaint against an unnamed youth, who allegedly called her and some other women ``prostitutes’’.
``We first went to the police station and reported the case and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) directed that a police officer accompany us to arrest the culprit,’’ a source close to the victim disclosed, adding that by the time they went to arrest the boy some members of the PDP were having a meeting of sort.
Continuing, Malam Umar Mai Cassette, the victim’s driver, who was also an eye witness to the incident said, ``by the time the policeman attempted arresting the boy the honourable member intervened and promised to hand him over to the police himself’’.
On returning to the Warawa police station, however, sources informed our reporter that the complainant met the accused lawmaker already waiting for them at the division and that as soon as she entered, the Hon. member started raining invectives on her, saying ``I ordered the boys to call her prostitute because she always goes to the radio castigating me and my associates.’’
While Hajiya Habiba was about to make her statement in writing, eye witnesses said, the Hon. member was not done with as he allegedly continued raining abuses on her before the policemen who stood watching helplessly even as the lawmaker made to take his leave of the police station.
Another eye witness, who said she was also a victim of the incident, one Maryam Muhammad said, she was beaten seriously by some thugs believed to be the Hon. member’s boys.
``When Hon. Maderi was about to leave the police station even after doing what he did in front of the policemen, the complainant, Hajiya Habiba inquired why should he be allowed to go eventhough he had confessed being the brain behind the humiliation meted to her,’’ she explained.
Maryam, whose face was bruised from the alleged beatings disclosed that soon afterwards,’’ the Hon. member turned and slapped Hajiya Habiba several times while some thugs, numbering about ten joined him in beating her mercilessly’’.
One Bashir Adamu Gaya, another eye witness said, he was coming from Gaya when he met the female politician’s driver and others looking for a vehicle to convey her to the hospital.
``On my arrival I met the victim in a state of coma while many people gathered around her, crying, thinking that she must have died, but by God’s infinite mercy, she was alive,’’ Gaya disclosed to Weekend Triumph reporter.
As at the time our reporter went to visit the victim to get her own account of the incident, he met her lying on her sick bed at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, where she was transferred, but she could not talk to him under the prevailing condition.
Confirming the story, the state police command public relations officer, Superintendent of Police, Baba Muhammad said, the command has been duly informed about the case and that the culprit has since been arrested while investigation into the case is on.
``We are going to follow the issue in accordance with provision of the law and I wish to assure the general public that in the course of our investigations into the matter, anyone found guilty will be dealt with accordingly,’’ the police spokesman assured.