Armed political thugs yesterday seized mobile phones from a DSS officer, a police sergeant and several others at Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla’s declaration rally held in Yola.

Dozens of thugs brandished daggers and knives to cause pandemonium near Ribadu Square, the venue of the rally for the governor’s re-election around 3pm, attacking vehicles and forcing their victims to surrender their handsets and money.

One of the victims, Salma Tahir said the thugs stopped her tricycle and asked the passengers to surrender their handsets, saying her mobile phones, a Samsung smartphone and a Nokia valued at N185,000 and N50,000 respectively were snatched.

The thugs reportedly robbed a DSS personnel and his two daughters of their mobile phones when their car was forced open and ransacked by the youths as participants were dispersing from the political rally.

A uniformed police sergeant was reportedly among the victims after his phone was forcefully snatched from his hand by the knife-wielding young men.

Eyewitnesses reported that a team of DSS personnel later mobilised to the scene in pursuit of the culprits and succeeded in arresting at least two persons, near the residence of Gambo Jimeta. One of the suspects was fatally injured from gunshot fired by the security men.

Confirming the incident, the Police spokesman in Adamawa, Habibu Musa, said one of the stolen mobile phones had been recovered from a suspect who was helping the police in their investigation.

“Police have arrested one suspect and a mobile phone is found in his possession. We believe the information he is giving us will lead to more arrest”, he stated.

•Sourced from a Daily Trust report

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