Riot in Plateau
• Irate youths burn police station, curfew imposed
By MARIAM ALESHINLOYE AGBOOLA, Jos
Wednesday,
October 25, 2006
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Photo:
Sun News Publishing |
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Angered by the death of one of their colleagues, irate youths
in Pankshin local government area of Plateau State have set
ablaze a divisional police station headquarters and killed
a staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.
It was gathered that Pankshin town had been under siege by
armed robbers who in one of their operations invaded the state
low cost housing estate, engaging in house to house operation.
In the early hours of last Saturday, the robbers had visited
a hotel not far from the police divisional headquarters, raiding
workers and guests.
While the operation was going on, residents around the hotel
alerted the police who swiftly moved into the hotel to arrest
the robbers.
But on sighting the police, the armed robbers took to their
heels and in the process of trying to confuse the police,
ran into another hotel where some youths were holding a party.
The police followed them into the hotel and on getting there,
asked all the occupants to lie flat on the floor, while they
conducted a search.
During the search some suspects were taken away but some people
were able to scale the fence and ran away.
The following day, a corpse of one of the youths was discovered
in the hotel.
Believing he was shot by the police, the youths gathered themselves
in their hundreds and headed to the police divisional headquarters.
They overpowered the policemen and set the station ablaze.
The youths freed all the detainees at the police station,
including 25 persons arrested the day before.
The police had made effort to protect the station by firing
shots into the air to scare off the youths but that was in
vain.
A staff member of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)
who on seeing the police station on fire climbed the pole
to try to cut off the high-tension cable to prevent the fire
from spreading to other parts of the town, was attacked by
the youths and killed instantly.
It took the intervention of the traditional ruler of the town,
Ngo Long Ngas, Nde Joshua Dimlong, chairman of the Pankshin
Local Government, Chief Anthony Goyol as well as the member
representing Pankshin North in the state House of Assembly,
Gambo Nbilamut before the youths could be dispersed.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of operation,
Mr. Olufemi Adenaike immediately visited the area to ensure
calm is restored.
Meanwhile, a dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed in the local
government area and situation report showered that sanity
has been restored.
Daily Sun, however, learnt that the youth
whose death sparked off the riot, died as a result of injuries
he sustained while trying to escape from the hotel.
It was learnt that the broken bottles lining the fence of
the hotel had cut deeply into his body, making him to bleed
to death.
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