As gunmen fell ANPP guber candidate, gov’s brother and five others
*Hours after Northern govs raise panel on ethno-religious crises
*Jonathan condemns his murder
By NDAHI MARAMA & UMAR YUSUF, with agency report
The violence and killings in the North East flank of the country took a more frightening dimension, yesterday, after unknown gunmen killed the ANPP governorship candidate in Borno State, Engineer Modu Fannami Gubio, and six other persons including the younger brother of Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, Alhaji Goni Sheriff, in Maiduguri.
Engineer Gubio, 40, and until yesterday, the state Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development was killed as he arrived his family house from the Jummat prayers at the Shehu of Borno’s palace. Time was 2.15 pm.
The assailants, said to be four in number arrived the scene on two motorcycles and appeared to have trailed him from the Jummat prayers. They opened fire as Gubio was greeting his father.
Killed with him apart from Gov Sherif’s brother, were security aides and political associates.
He himself was Governor Modu’s cousin.
Ringim: Police IG
He was the anointed choice of the ANPP hierachy in the state to succeed the incumbent and was generally seen as the candidate to beat in the April election.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state ASP Lawal Abdullahi confirmed the incident and said the State Police Commissioner CP Abubabar Jinjiri had led a police team to the scene with a view to commencing investigation.
CP Jinjiri later spoke on phone and said seven people were killed and that the corpses had been deposited at the mortuary of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Engineer Fannami was born in Gubio town on August 28th 1960. He attended Mafoni Primary School, Maiduguri 1966 to 1972, Yerwa Government Secondary School between 1973 and 1977 Ahmadu Bello University Zaria where he obtained Bsc. Building Engineering in 1986.
He also had a Masters Degree in Business Management from the same institution.
The deceased served at different times as Commissioner for Information, Home Affairs and Culture, and later moved to the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs. His last portfolio was Finance and Economic Development Ministry in the state.
Maiduguri has witnessed many killings lately most of them masterminded by members of Boko Haram.
Northern govs raise panel on etho-religious crises
Gubio’s death came just 24 hours after Governors of the 19 Northern States constituted a three man panel to unravel the circumstances behind the escalating ethno-religious upheavals in the region.
The committee comprises Governors Bukola Saraki, (Kwara); Dr. Gabriel Suswan (Benue); Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina).
The setting up of the committee was a highlight of the 9 point communiqué issued by the Governors at the close of their consultative forum in Yola, Adamawa state.
The governors, in the communiqué, reaffirmed their determination to continue confronting the challenges of insecurity to lives and property, particularly unemployment and ethno-religious upheavals.
They appealed to politicians and religious leaders across the country to stop using religion and ethnicity in the current political dispensation merely to advance the political interest of some candidates, and charged political actors and the people to be focused on issues that will engender national unity and development and the consolidation of democratic gains in the nation, stressing that , peaceful co-existence and national interest should be of utmost concern.
Jonathan condemns murder
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday, in Ethiopia expressed shock over the murder of the ANPP gubernatorial candidate of Borno State, Alhaji Gubio.
The President’s reaction was contained in a statement by Presidential Spokesman, Mr Ima Niboro, who said: “President Ebele Jonathan, who is in Addis Ababa to attend the 16th African Union Summit, has received with shock and consternation, the news of the murder, by suspected assassins, of the ANPP gubernatorial candidate of Borno State, Alhaji Fantami Gubio.
“President Jonathan unreservedly condemns this killing and wants security agencies to find those behind it”.
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The President, said the era of do-or-die politics in Nigeria was over, and those bent on taking us back to that arbitrary past have no place in renascent Nigeria.
“President Jonathan condoles with the Government and people of Borno State, as well as the families of those who were killed in cold blood and prays Allah to grant repose to their souls”.
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