Aggrieved women and youth have reportedly burnt down the Kafin-koro Police Divisional Office in Paikoro Local Government Area in Niger State on Tuesday.
Their action is sequel to the burning to death of a Catholic Priest Father Isaac Achi and the shooting of another Father Collins by bandits in Kafin-koro in Paikoro in the area,
A resident of Kafin Koro, who identified himself simply as Jonathan, said the incident began when some women comprising Evangelical Church Winning All and Catholic women groups converged on the premises of the burnt Parish at 7 am on Tuesday to offer prayers against those who burnt the Catholic priest.
Jonathan said, “as the women were praying, some policemen arrived at the venue,” adding that they were a detachment from the Kafin-koro Police Division drafted to the church to provide protection for them.
“The women rejected the protection and requested that the police should leave because the police didn’t provide protection for the dead priest neither did they show up on time when they were called,”
Jonathan said when the police refused to leave the residence of the late priest, the women threw stones and sachet water at them and then the police left.
He said the village youths eventually joined the women to hold a peaceful protest but the police started shooting and a villager was killed by a bullet fired by the policemen.
“After the prayers, the women were joined by some youths to march peacefully through the major road of the town to the Police Division chanting anti-police slogans to the Police Division to register their grievances as they asked the police to leave the town since their presence is of no security value to the community.
“As the police were trying to disperse the crowd, the police began shooting into the air and one of the bullets hit a man who died immediately so that was how the protest turned violent,” he said
Jonathan said the irate youths in the process set the police division office on fire.
