Tragedy struck in Kaduna State on Sunday evening as gunmen killed Raymond Timothy, the Peoples Democratic Party councilorship candidate for Pari Ward in Kauru Local Government Area, and his brother James Timothy.
The brothers were returning from a political campaign in Kizachi Village on a motorcycle when the incident occurred.
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 also highlighted the human impact of the tragedy, noting that Raymond Timothy leaves behind three children, with his wife expecting their fourth child.
The Secretary to the Village Head of Kizachi, John Wanneh, provided additional context. Wanneh 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, Wanneh couldn’t confirm whether the killing was politically related or identify the attackers.
Wanneh also appealed to the government to address the area’s infrastructure challenges, citing the poor condition of the road and a river that security operatives cannot cross.
“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.
The incident underscores concerns about violence and security ahead of the upcoming local government election in Kaduna State.
