Rampaging youths in Jalingo on Monday pelted Taraba Commissioner of
Police, Mr David Akinremi, with stones, injuring him on the head.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP David Misal, who
confirmed the incident to newsmen in Jalingo, said the Commissioner had
gone to the Tudunwada area of the metropolis with a team of officers to
restore normalcy following reports of youths unrest.
”He was hit on the head with a stone resulting in serious bleeding
before he was rushed to the Hospital, where he was treated and
discharged.
“Since yesterday, some irate youths, armed with dangerous
weapons,including cutlasses, axes and other objects, started disturbing
the peace of residents around Tudun Wada and Gadan Boboji areas of
Jalingo town. Our men were deployed there and normalcy returned.
“However, this morning, we got reports that the boys had come out
again in large numbers, brandishing these weapons and attacking innocent
citizens; the situation was so bad that the Commissioner of Police
decided to go there himself with other officers.
“In the course of addressing the youths to calm them down, he was
stoned in the head and was immediately rushed to the hospital,where he
was treated of his injuries.
“For now, he has been discharged and is taking his rest at home. As
we speak, a serious operation is going on there to calm the situation
and forestall further breakdown of law and order in the area,” he said.
Misal warned that the command would not sit back and watch people
take the laws into their hands by unleashing mayhem on innocent people.
He confirmed that at least 60 persons had so far been arrested.
“I can assure you that the command would make sure that normalcy is
completely maintained in the area and the perpetrators of this crime are
brought to book.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on members of the public to
always report any suspicious elements to the police promptly, with
assurance that their identity would not be disclosed,” he assured.