Gunmen murder 9 women •During polio vaccination 

POLIO eradication in northern Nigeria may have suffered a setback as unknown gunmen on Friday morning killed nine and injured four female health workers who were administering polio vaccinations in two separate attacks in Kano.

According to an eyewitness, the gunmen, who were riding a tricycle shot dead three women at Filin Kashu area of Unguwa Uku and injured three others. Another set of gunmen also attacked Hayen Hotoro at Shargalle Health Centre, killing seven women health workers

During the attack, a portion of the Shargalle Health Centre at Hayen Hotoro was torched in an attempt by the gunmen to destroy the building.

Following the attack, there was pandemonium as residents of the area ran helter skelter for their safety.

While confirming the attack, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran, said: “Already, those killed and injured have been taken to hospital. It’s a sad incident.”

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Musa Magaji Majia, confirmed the killing, saying that the attack occurred around 9 a.m.

The police spokesman, however, said that investigation into the incident had commenced. The corpses were deposited at the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, but no arrests were made, according to the police.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General (IG) of Police, Mr Muhammed Abubakar, has vowed that the security operatives will apprehend the killers, saying the incident should not be viewed as a collapse of security.

The Inspector-General, who accompanied the Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade, to sympathise with the people and government of Kano State over the attack on the convoy of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, said the police had spread their dragnet in their effort to track down those behind the dastardly act.

In his reaction to the attack, President Goodluck Jonathan, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, commiserated with families of the deceased and the government and people of Kano State.

He assured the bereaved families that the loss of their loved ones would not be in vain as the Federal Government would ensure that the mission to totally eradicate polio from Nigeria, in which the slain health workers were patriotically engaged, was carried out to a very successful conclusion.

He further assured all Nigerians and the international community, especially international health organisations and Nigeria’s development partners, that his administration would not be distracted from its objective of accelerating the reduction of maternal and child mortality in all parts of the country by mindless acts of terrorism.

The statement added that the government would continue to track down and apprehend agents of terrorism in the country, adding that the president had directed that enhanced security measures be put in place immediately for health workers in high-risk areas.