Thugs attack Kano Media Trust’s office

[DT]

...For refusing to kill KNSG story supporting fuel subsidy removal.

Thugs believed to be hired agents yesterday invaded the Kano regional office of the Media Trust and attempted to set ablaze its multi-million naira plant over a news report which the government did not want to appear in the day's edition. The report was based on a media interactive session with the Deputy Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Tuesday but which the government later did not want to be published.

As early as 6am yesterday when the story was posted on the Daily Trust's online edition confirming that the news was already in the paper, thugs immediately arrived at the office, just a stone's throw from the Kano International Trade Fair Complex in two vehicles to stop the paper from being distributed and to later set the office ablaze.

The gang forced its way into the office after they overpowered the two security guards, saying they were sent by the government to stop the paper from circulating because of a certain story.

One of them was heard communicating with one of Governor Kwankwaso's media aides.

The deployment of armed policemen from Kwalli Police Station saved the plant, but by then  thugs had already smashed the wind screen of a distribution van. They placed two tyres on its bonnet and were about to light it up when the police arrived.

One of the security men was badly beaten by the thugs and was taken to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital for treatment. The police arrested one of the thugs identified as Aminu Haruna.

He was earlier heard pleading with their leader not to burn the place but to only set ablaze the two vehicles in the premises.

The police officer that handled the case at Kwalli Police Station said the intention of the thugs was to burn the whole place, but that the arrival of the policemen botched their "evil intention".

The Divisional Police Officer Abdullahi Sani said the case had been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for investigation.

The deputy governor, Tuesday at a press briefing said Kwankwaso's government would back the Federal Government on subsidy removal since it is a national issue.

Ganduje canvassed support for the Federal Government from Nigerians to succeed in its effort to salvage the country's economy from collapse.

At the briefing were the Commissioner of Information Professor Faruk Umar Jubril and media aides of Governor Kwankwaso.

After the reporters had left to file their reports they began to receive phone calls from the governor's media aides not to write the story.

Sources in the government told Daily Trust that officials feared there could be a backlash when it was seen to be backing subsidy when angry protests raged across Nigeria against it.

Kwankwaso's media aide, Jaafar Jaafar, allegedly acting on the orders of the state commissioner of information began to lobby reporters of the country's major newspapers that covered the event to either step down the story or not to pick from an angle supporting subsidy removal.

Daily Trust reporter was among those contacted by Jaafar to kill the story but referred the governor's aide to his superior officers at the newspaper's corporate office in Abuja as the matter was beyond his control.

Governor Kwankwaso's powerful chief of staff, Dr Yunusa Adamu Dangwani said the government could not have sent thugs to burn Media Trust's regional office, but said he will investigate the matter.

Jaafar was sighted at the Sabon Gari area where all the country's newspapers are being shared to vendors attempting to prevent yesterday's edition of Daily Trust from circulating by buying up all the copies at N200 each. He was said to have been brought to the place around 6am in a 607 Peugeot with registration number EQ 54 ABJ.

Jaafar, who was also said to have led other government officials in two vehicles to mop up the copies in different parts of Kano metropolis, refused to respond to suggestion that he was the one who sent the thugs on the directive of his boss as he neither picked our reporter's call nor responded to the text message sent to him.

The same story that appeared in yesterday's Kano government-owned Triumph Newspaper contradicted Jaafar's earlier assertion that the media interactive session with the deputy governor did not take place.

Contacted, Governor Kwankwaso's chief of staff, Dr Yunusa Adamu Dangwani said Kano government could not have asked thugs to destroy Media Trust office in Kano, saying his office will investigate the matter thoroughly.

Also contacted, Kano Police Command's Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Musa Majiya said as soon as the police completed their investigation they will arraign the suspect before a court. He said the suspect, aged 28 years, is helping the police in their investigation, saying the five other suspects in the case escaped arrest and that effort is being made to track them down.

The Kano plant prints all Media Trust's publications that circulate in Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states as well as in some parts of Kaduna and Bauchi. The media outfit publishes Daily Trust, Weekly Trust, Sunday Trust and Aminiya.

DailyTrust