By Nseobong Okon-Ekong
An atmosphere of peace pervaded Daura in Katsina State, the hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is contesting in Saturday’s presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The large number of security personnel which was noticeable when the President went for the Friday Jumat Service thinned out into a sizeable presence on the major roads leading into the town from Katsina, Kano and Niger Republic.
The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Central Police Station in Daura, Mr. Mohammed Suleiman Buhari, said all was calm and that there was no report of untoward incidents. He revealed, however, that more security personnel were on hand from neighbouring states. ” We have Mobile Policemen from Kano and Jigawa states to complement the men we have on ground. After securing the environment when the President went to the Mosque in the afternoon, they have withdrawn. You may see them again tomorrow, patrolling the town.”
President Buhari’s country home is off the highway leading to Kongolam, about 10 minutes drive to the border with Niger Republic. There are check points of different military and paramilitary agencies on the road, including the Nigeria Army, the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Immigration Service.
The usual burst of activities at the Kongolam border post had slowed down as officials of the NIS enforced the 48-hour closure of the border, ordered by the federal government. An official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers at the Kongolam motorpark, Alhaji Momoh Ahmed, confirmed limited transaction at the Nigeria-Niger border “Business has been dull today because of the closure of the border,” he said.
The lone major hospitality provider in Daura, the Katsina state government-owned Daura Motel was counting its gain, according to it’s Assistant Manager, Mallam Yusuf Garba. He noted, “all the 54 rooms are full. It is usually like this once there is a big event or the President is in town, otherwise, for the better part of the year, the rooms are empty, even on weekends.” Some journalists and other professionals on the trail of Buhari to monitor the Presidential election had to seek accommodation at ABM Guest Inn at Kongolam,
