President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on a two-day working visit to Kano State, was welcomed with stones, and the burning of tyres by a mob of street boys known as Alimajiris, in the Hotoro area of the metropolis.
The incident occurred as the advance motorcade of the president was passing through Maiduguri road and heading towards the new N8 billion flyover built by the Ganduje administration, which he was to commission.
Eye witness account said that the incident started when the street boys were shouting “bamuyi’ which means ” we are not doing”, and in response, some of the security aides in the passing advance convoy started shooting into the air.
The shooting of bullets into the air was said to have provoked the boys, who then went further to start throwing more stones, and also started burning tyres, near the headquarters of the Hadeija Jamare River Basin.
The boys were also seen throwing stones, at one of the helicopters, that was providing security cover for the convoy of the president.
Before, the incident started, President Buhari, who flew into the state from his native town of Daura, around 11.30 am on Monday, had paid a courtesy call to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero.
Buhari, who came to the palace in one of the presidential helicopters, later departed after the courtesy visit in a motorcade to Ahmadu Bello Way, where he commissioned the Galaxy Backbone Telecommunication infrastructure, built by the Federal Government.
After this, the convoy moved to the Utra-Modern Cancer Treatment Center, also built by the Kano State Government which he also commissioned.
It was while, he was on his way to commission the new Flyover, named after him, by the Kano State Government that the stoning incident occurred.
However, despite the stoning incident the president still went ahead to Tiga, where he commissioned the multi-billion 10-megawatt power plant also built by the Kano state government.
The president is about now rounding up his visit to the state.
Abdulahi Ganduje, governor of the state had tried to postpone the presidential visit, saying the naira swap was causing hardship and it could have some security risk.
Ganduje had in an interactive session with critical stakeholders, including scholars, legislators, political leaders and business community in the state, revealed that his administration had requested the president to postpone his official visit to the state.
Read also: There are no banks in 24 LGAs in Kano State – Ganduje
He said the state was deeply concerned about the hardship principally induced by the ongoing cash swap from old to redesigned naira notes. Thus the decision to postpone the visit and avoid any unforeseen circumstance.
But barely 24 hours to the visit, the governor had made a U-turn, saying the state was ready to host the president.
”Kano is now prepared to receive the Nigerian leader,” he said.
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