Police rules out foul play in death of Kano INEC Commissioner and his family

Police authorities in Kano have ruled out foul play in the death of Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Alhaji Munkaila Abdullahi, who suffocated to death with his wife and two daughters in his residence located on No. 2 Sir Kashim Ibrahim Road, Nassarawa GRA.

Addressing reporters in his office on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris said preliminary investigation confirmed that Abdullahi and members of his family died out of suffocation arising from a fire, suspected to have emanated from an electrical fault.

The police commissioner dismissed insinuations that the INEC boss must have been assassinated, saying there was no trace of foul play at the scene of the incident.

"Today at about 4:30 a.m., the police men on guard duty at the official residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner Kano state, Alhaji Munkaila Abdullahi, located at No. 2 Sir Kashim Ibrahim Road, Nassarawa GRA, Kano, observed a fire emanating from a split air-conditioner in the sitting room.

"They make several attempt to get in touch with him including banging the doors and breaking some of the toilets windows but he was not responding. The police men and local guards broke the door leading to the sitting room, and discovered the sitting room was engulfed by fire and smoke.

"They then went to the side of the door leading to the masters bedroom, broke the door and entered; they were not inside the bed room and the Police then went to the bathroom, inside the master bedroom and found the REC, his wife and his two daughters unconscious on the floor.

"They quickly moved them to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital where the Doctor confirmed them dead. The Doctor confirmed the family died from inhalation of hot and black smoke.

Meanwhile, the detectives attached to SCID have sealed the scene and together with the fire service men have commenced thorough investigation into the fire incident," CP Idris stated.

Reporters were escorted to the scene of the incident to verify facts.

Credit: Ibrahim Shuaibu/ThisDay