Gunmen kill Lawmaker, injure two persons in Kano

Gunmen riding on motorcycles have killed a prominent politician in Nigeria’s second city of Kano, officials said Sunday. A police source, who confirmed the killing, said the group Boko Haram may be responsible for the latest violence.

Ibrahim Abba Garko, a lawmaker in the assembly of Kano state, of which Kano city is the capital, was shot three times as he sat with friends at a popular meeting spot near a petrol station.

“He was shot in the head, chest and shoulder by the gunmen and from all indications he was their target,” said Salisu Ibrahim Riruwai, another Kano state lawmaker. “He died on the spot,” Riruwai said, adding that two others were seriously injured in the attack.

Such targetted political assassinations have been rare in Kano, although the historic city was on January 20 the site of the group’s deadliest ever attack when at least 185 people were killed.