Gunmen have killed the Peoples Democratic Party councilorship candidate for Pari Ward in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Raymond Timothy, and his brother, James Timothy.
The tragic incident happened on Sunday evening, as the two were returning from a political campaign in Kizachi Village on a motorcycle.
A PDP chieftain in Kauru Local Government, Barnabas Chawai, confirmed the incident in a phone interview with the PUNCH.
Chawai suggested that the killings may have been politically motivated and called on security agencies to take swift action to arrest those responsible.
“Drastic measures need to be put in place to prevent this from happening again, especially as we approach the October 19 local government election,” Chawai said. He added that Raymond Timothy leaves behind three children, while his wife is pregnant with their fourth child.
John Wanneh, the Secretary to the Village Head of Kizachi, explained that he was with the victims around 6 p.m. before they parted ways. “It was not more than 10 to 15 minutes after we separated that we heard gunshots near some guinea corn farms,” he said. However, he could not confirm whether the killing was politically related or who the attackers were.
Wanneh also appealed to the government to construct a road and bridge for better access during emergencies. “Security operatives cannot enter the village now because of the poor condition of the road, and there’s a river they cannot cross. This has been our situation for a long time,” he lamented.
Attempts to reach the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, for comments were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or messages.
