A young man was feared dead while several
others sustained bullet wounds following a fracas involving the Police in Naka,
Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, youths and commercial
motorcycle operators in the town.
It was gathered from an eyewitness that the crisis
started when a young man who recently bought a van in the town mounted a siren
on it and consistently harassed Police personnel on stop and search duty in the
town with it.
The Police after several warnings to the young man (names withheld) decided
to arrest him at a check point because he was not supposed to use a siren.
Unfortunately, the young man resisted the arrest and also went as far as
struggling to snatch a riffle from one of the Police officers on duty.
It was in the midst of that confusion that a shot was fired from the gun
which killed a commercial motorcycle operator who was not too far from the
scene of the fight while the van owner sustained injuries.
Angered by the
death of their member, ‘Okada’ riders in Naka town went on rampage attacking
any police personnel they came across in the town. They also went as far as
sacking the Naka Police Station after which they released all those in
detention in the station.
From there they started visiting the homes of Police
personnel in the town and burning their personal houses and personal effects
while the police shot sporadically in the air to scare them leading to the
injury of many.
“As I speak with you, houses are on fire in Naka town and property that is
said to belong to any police man or woman is set ablaze by the angry mob. Even
the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in the area narrowly escaped death because
the mob felt he was innocent.”
“Though the situation has been brought under control with the intervention
of Governor Samuel Ortom, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni and the
Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,
Mr. Titus Zam who hails from the area, there is palpable tension in the town as
at this moment,” said the eye witness.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant
Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu said he was yet to get full details of the
crisis.