Murdered Catholic Priest: Tension as angry youths raze police station in Kaffin-Koro
TUNDE BOLAJI MINNA
There is palpable tension as some angry youths of Kaffin-Koro, Paikoro local government area of Niger state have allegedly burnt down the Police station in protest to killing of a Catholic Priest, Rev Father Isaac Achi of St. Peters and Paul Catholic Church by armed bandits.
Sources revealed that the youths were angered by the slow response of the police to the cries of help from the people when the gunmen attacked his residence on Sunday morning at about 3am.
It was further learnt that during the protest cars, houses including the police out post were burnt even as several persons sustained various degrees of injuries.
Recall, Rev Achi was set ablaze when the bandits failed to gain entrance into his house, where he was burnt to ashes.
Confirming the development in the area, the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Humanitarian Services, Hon Emmanuel Bagna Umar said though, the state government is pained by the incident, nobody has the right to take laws into his or her for whatever reason.
The commissioner stated that the state government will not allow any form of violence that would lead to destruction of government property.
According to him,” since the incident happened on Sunday, youhave seen the commitment of government that is why, we are calling on communities to support government in riding the state of bandits and not to take side by vandalizing government property”
Hon. Umar also added that a security team has already been dispatched to Kaffin-Koro to do an on the spot accessment of the situation, especially the remote cause of the violence outbreak by the Youths.
Also, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PRO, DSP WasiuAbiodun confirmed the burning down of the police station in the area by angry youths, said it was as a result lack quick response in rescuing the Catholic Priest.
” They are angry that the police could come on time to rescue the Rev Father and this is because his house is about one kilometer from the police station. Before they could mobilize and get to his place to engage the assailants, they had already ran away from the scene, when they saw the police coming”.
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He added, “another problem was that there was no water close by to quickly put out the fire when the police got there to save the Priest”.
