A police station was burnt on Sunday by residents of Agenebode, the headquarters of Etsako East Local Government Area in Edo State, following the kidnapping and death of a little child in the area.
A reliable source, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised, said several people were killed and vehicles inside the police station were set on fire over allegations that suspected Fulani herders were kidnapping and killing people for organ harvesting while being protected by police.
The resident said, “The incident that led to the issue was the case of a young boy who was said to have been kidnapped some weeks ago, and after a ransom was paid, he was still not released. It was later discovered that he was killed.
“The youths in the community were able to track the phone, and the user was arrested and handed over to the police. The user was traced to the head of the Fulani community in the area.
The source continued, “Apparently not satisfied with the way the police were handling the matter, the youths stormed the police station and took away the suspect, leading him to the house of the Fulani leader, where, on prodding, he allegedly confessed to them that several kidnapped victims had been killed and buried in shallow graves after parts of their bodies were harvested.
“The infuriated youths dug up the decomposing body of the young man in the compound of the leader of the Fulani, who had fled with his family, and in the process of digging up the decomposing body, saw several bones believed to be those of human beings.
“In anger, the youths burnt down the building and then the business centres of several other Hausa/Fulani youths and then stormed the police station and set it ablaze.”
One of the youths said, “Enough is enough. This must stop. The police kill our children and still collect money from us. These kidnappers will abduct our children, collect money, and still kill them. They will collect N2.5m, sometimes N3m, from us and still kill the victims.”
When approached, the council chairman, Benedicta Atoh, stated that he was “too shocked to talk,” as indicated by one of his subordinates.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) for Zone 5, Arungwa Udo, and the Commissioner of Police, Nemi Edwin-Iwo, have reportedly visited the area to restore order and conduct an on-the-spot evaluation.
When reached, Moses Yamu, the Force Public Relations Officer, said via text message that he “will get back to you ASAP.” (Soon as possible).
