Residents of Agenebode, the capital of Etsako East Local Government Area in Edo State, set a police station on fire following the k!dnapping and m*rder of a young man.
A source, speaking anonymously to Punch, reported that multiple deaths were believed to have occurred, and vehicles at the police station were torched amidst allegations that suspected Fulani h*rdsmen were k!dnapping and killing people for organ harvesting, allegedly with police protection.
The uproar was triggered by an incident involving a young boy who had been k!dnapped weeks prior. Even after a ransom was paid, he was not released, and it was later discovered he had been k!lled, according to the source.
Community youths managed to track down a phone used by the k!dnappers, leading to the arrest of a suspect handed over to the police. This individual was linked to the head of the Fulani community.
Dissatisfied with police handling of the case, youths stormed the police station, seized the suspect, and brought him to the Fulani leader’s home. There, after being pressured, the suspect allegedly confessed that several victims had been k!lled and buried in shallow graves following organ harvesting.
Angry youths uncovered the body of the young man in the Fulani leader’s compound, who had fled with his family, and found numerous bones believed to be human.
In their rage, the youths set fire to the building, several business centers of other Hausa/Fulani youths, and then the police station itself.
One of the youths declared, “Enough is enough. This must stop. The police k!ll our children and still collect money from us. These kidnappers will abduct our children, collect money and still kill them. They will collect N2.5m, sometimes N3m, and still k!ll the victims.”
The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 5, Arungwa Udo, and Commissioner of Police, Nemi Edwin-Iwo, have visited the area seemingly to restore order and conduct an on-the-spot assessment.