An unnamed trigger-happy police officer has shot dead a footballer, Salisu Rabiu, while another was wounded during a protest in Kano over the appeal court judgement sacking Governor Abba Yusuf of New Nigeria People’s Party as the governor of the State.

According to the police, the officer acted without receiving command from the existing command at the protest ground.

A statement by the police spokesman in the state, Abdullahi Kiyawa, confirmed the death of the footballer, adding that the officer has since been arrested.

The incident which happened in the Fagge Local Government Area of the state, the police said, "....where a Police Inspector who did not receive any command from the existing chain of Command fired a shot and unfortunately wounded two persons with one other person died while receiving treatment at the hospital."

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Gumel, directed the Area Commander Dala, ACP NuhuDigi to fish out the erring police inspector with a view to constituting a board of inquiry into the cause of the incident of which the outcome will be communicated to the public.

“Few hours later, the Police Inspector has since been arrested and is now in Police custody,” the statement partly read.

Wednesday’s protest is the fourth since the appellate court sacked the governor on November 17, 2023, and declared All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, as the winner of the March poll.

On Wednesday, protesters gathered in some locations across the state with placards having inscriptions like ‘Our mandate must restored’, ‘Kano voted for Abba’, injustice exposed in CTC’, amongst others.

Wearing colour red popular among the Kwankwasiyya, a socio-religious movement with NNPP 2023 presidential candidate and ex-Kano governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso as the group’s leader, the protesters chanted solidarity songs to register their displeasure.

A similar protest erupted in Abuja on Wednesday when NNPP leaders rejected the judgement of the appellate court.

The protest started at the party’s headquarters in Abuja and spread to the ECOWAS Secretariat, the United Nations Office and some Embassies in Abuja.

The protesters hoped to draw the attention of Nigerians and the international community on developments in Kano, following the appellate court judgement on governorship election.