Police Arrest 20 Ekiti Youths For Protesting Death Of Colleague
No fewer than 20 youths of Ayegbaju Ekiti, in Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti state have been arrested by police for engaging in violent protest over the death of one of their colleagues.
The angry youths took to the streets to protest the death of one Samson Omowumi, an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who they claimed died in a mysterious circumstance.
A source in the town said that the deceased was involved in a protracted dispute with another older indigene, over a parcel of land before his sudden death.
The late Omowumi, it was learnt, suddenly developed a strange illness during the week, and was rushed to an undisclosed hospital, where he later died on Saturday evening.
His death was said to have angered the youths who suspected that the deceased might have been killed through diabolical means by the person with whom he was fighting over the said land.
They were said to have mobilized themselves and marched through the streets, chanting war songs, and demanding the head of the man suspected to be responsible for Omowumi’s death.
During the incident, which paralyzed all activities and halted both human and vehicular movements in the town, the youths also reportedly besieged the private home of the suspected man, and attempted burning down the property.
The early arrival of men of the state police command in the town was said to have saved the situation from degenerating into a full-blown communal crisis, that would have claimed lives had the suspect and his family members were not ferried out of town for protection.
Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, said 20 persons have been arrested in connection with the unrest, saying full scale investigation had commenced concerning the incident.
Alberto said that men of the command quickly moved to action when hinted about the youths’ disturbance, adding that normalcy was gradually returning to the town after the intervention.
He warned residents against taking laws into their hands whenever they are aggrieved under whatever circumstance.