Officers flee as angry youth set Imo police station on fire

Angry youth set a police station on fire in Obowo local government area of Imo state on Monday.

Rampaging youth were said to have broken into the station, setting all those in the cell free but torching the stations.

The officers, who were on ground, were said to have fled after losing the bid to control the angry mob.

TheCable gathered that the attack was in retaliation of the death of a resident of the community who was allegedly shot dead by a policeman on Sunday.

“A resident of Otoko in Obowo LGA was killed by a trigger-happy policeman yesterday and today, the youth stormed there in their numbers. After overpowering the officers, they set the police station on fire,” a source told TheCable.

Rabiu Ladodo, Imo state commissioner of police, confirmed the incident, vowing that the police would get to the root of the matter.

“I am here now at Obowo where the youth burnt one of the police stations. I am presently there now,” he told TheCable.

“An incident happened yesterday where one policeman said to have shot somebody to death. So, they now retaliated. I am trying to rescue the policemen who ran into the bush.”

The Imo incident happened less that 24 hours after some gunmen raided a police station in Agudama community of Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, killing four officers, including a pregnant woman.

Sources in the community were quoted as saying the attackers also made away with the rifles and ammunition during the operation that lasted hours.