Angry youth burn church, police station in Kaduna

Some youth in the Narayi area of Chikun local government Area of Kaduna state have set ablaze a police station and a parish of Celestial Church of Christ in the community.

Trouble started after the death of a boy working in the church. Babatunde Shittu, the pastor, was accused of being responsible.

The boy was said to have been carrying out a task assigned to him by Shittu but fell into a river and died in the process.

The pastor reportedly ran to the nearby police outpost to report the incident .

But the youth mobilised one another burn down the church and a car belonging to a church member parked within the church premises.

The police outpost was burnt down when the youth insisted that the pastor who was taken to the Barnawa Divisional Police station for protective custody must be produced.

Mukhtar Aliyu, spokesman of the state police command, confirmed the incident, saying five suspects had been arrested.

“The youth were angry over the death of a boy, who was working as a mason with the pastor of the church,” he said.

“When the incident was reported, we prevailed on the youths, and adopted civil and proactive measures to calm them,” he said, adding that the police rescued the pastor and took him to the police outpost and later to Barnawa Divisional police station.

“Later the youth came around 4:00 am and set the church and part of the police outpost ablaze, “ he said.

The spokesman said the command would not allow any person or group of persons to take the law into their hands.

He added that Austin Iwar, police commissioner,  has ordered full investigation and prosecution of those involved.