The Kano State Police Command has paraded 17 persons in connection with an illegal racing activity along Hadejia road in the state that left two civilians crushed to death.
The State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Musa Katsina, disclosed this on Monday at the Kano State Police Headquarters while briefing news men after parading the suspects.
According to him, the command had issued a warning before the yuletide season prohibiting such behaviours in 2016, a warning it said it gave bearing in mind the security challenge facing the nation at the moment.
He said the command banned public processions and gatherings except with the express permission of his office, which the racers did not get.
The commissioner said the men were arrested on a tip-off about their activities by a concerned Nigerian who alerted the command around 02.33am, adding that the culprits were arrested because the command could not leave them to be disturbing the peace in the middle of the night.
Katsina identified the two victims as Sulaiman Mohammed of Rijiyar Lemo, Kano and Shahidu Sani Musa of Ali Akilu street, Kano.
Also, the commissioner said the suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigations.
The suspects were identified as Khalifa Sunusi, 24, Abbas Sunusi, 24, and Imam Sunusi, 22, Kabir Sunusi,24, Abubakar Sunusi,19, Usman Danjuma, 21, Muhammed Danjuma, 19,
Others are Umar Muhd Hashim, 23 Ibrahim Bala, 22, Fahad Sarki Mukhtar, 21 and Ibrahim Maji Dadi, 23.
Also arrested are Mubarak Nuhu, 20, Kabiru Abdullahi, 21, Musa Kabiru, 22, Mohammed Abdurrahmad, 22, Ibrahim Mohammed, 20, Ali Isa, 20.
But while answering questions from our correspondent, Fahad Sarki Mukhtar denied being a part of any illegal racing activities, stating that he was a mere spectator.
Furthermore, he said the races usually took place in the night so as not to disturb commuters.
Mukhtar added that he was not aware of injury to anyone as a result of the racing activities, wondering how the command got its information that two persons were killed.
“How could that be possible?” He asked.