JTF Kills 'Unarmed' Women At Checkpoint In Kano

Men of the Joint Task Force opened fire at some cars passing through a checkpoint at Dorayi Sabon Titi area outside Kano city on Sunday night, killing two women and injuring two other people, witnesses and relations of the deceased said.

The incident happened at about 7.30pm as vehicles queued up for a stop-and-search being conducted by a JTF team of military and police personnel about 3 kilometres from the city, survivor of the shooting Muhammad Lawal told Daily Trust in Kano yesterday.

Lawal said he was hit by a bullet in the hand and that his 20-year-old elder sister Aisha, who was in the car with him, was shot dead.

Witnesses also said security officials were seen evacuating the body of a yet-to-be-identified elderly woman killed in the shooting.

The other injured person was also a woman.

Narrating how the incident happened, Lawal said he was driving back home in the company of some family members from a visit to another area called Zawaciki when men of the task force flagged down their vehicles.

But at this point a taxi driver who had been stopped earlier lost patience and tried to drive away. The security men suddenly opened fire at the taxicab and at other vehicles behind it.

Lawal said he and his sister were hit during the indiscriminate shooting.