Riot in Plateau
• Irate youths burn police station, curfew imposed

By MARIAM ALESHINLOYE AGBOOLA, Jos
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Photo: Sun News Publishing

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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