Police Brutality! Police Kill Two Protesting Youths In Kogi (Graphic Photos)
Category: Kogi News
There was uproar yesterday in Umomi community in the Ofu Local
Government Area of Kogi State when some policemen attached to the
Ugwolawo division opened fire on a crowd of protesting youths.
Two of the youths, identified as Okaye Omodi and Zekeri Mohammed, were
shot dead by the officers, who immediately fled to their station.
It was gathered that the youths were protesting the arrest and detention
of some residents, including a retired police officer identified as
Peter Adama.
A Punch correspondent gathered that Adama and others were
arrested around 11pm on Tuesday by some officers attached to the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad.
A resident, Jeremiah Idege, said the operatives swooped on the community
after some Fulani herdsmen reported that their cows had been killed by
some residents. Idege claimed that the allegation was false, saying that
the herdsmen had actually invaded and destroyed the community’s
farmland.
He said. “We have issues with the Fulani herdsmen and that has been on
for as long as 15 years. They have been destroying our farmland with
reckless abandon. As I speak with you, our community is wrecked.
“The little we have left was ravaged again by their cows recently and we
reported the matter at the Ugwolawo Police Division. We were given four
policemen to follow us to assess the level of damage done to our crops.
“Later, the police said we should come to a roundtable meeting with the
herdsmen so they could resolve the case; but we refused. We just asked
them to leave in peace. If we collect any money from them, they will say
they have bought the lands and they will completely take over what we
have left.”
It was learnt that a few days after the mediation failed, the herdsmen reported that some cows had been killed by the residents.
Punch was told that some of the community leaders followed the herdsmen
round to see the alleged dead cows, but found none. Another resident of
the community, Sani Emmanuel, said the herdsmen made the allegation
because they were asked to leave the village.
Emmanuel said on Monday, the Fulani leaders reported again at the police station that another set of cows had been killed.
He said, “On Tuesday, around 11pm, a group of policemen entered our
village and started breaking doors and ransacking our homes. They
arrested a lot of people, including Adama, who is retired police
officer.”
Emmnauel said the arrest did not go down well with the community youths,
who trooped out on Wednesday to protest the continued destruction of
their farmland without any help from the security agents.
Punch Metro was told that the youths blocked the roads and sang
solidarity songs. A witness, who did not want his name in print, said
the protest was peaceful.
He said, “The protest, which started around 10am, was peaceful and it
was within our village. Suddenly, armed policemen from the Ugwolawo
division drove in and shot live bullets into the crowd. We all fled
without knowing what had happened. The policemen had left before we knew
they had killed two people.”
The corpses were said to have been abandoned on the road until the Ata
of Igala, Mr. Michael Idakwo, reportedly arrived at the scene and
ordered that the victims’ families should take them away for burial.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Kogi State Command, William Aya,
confirmed the incident, adding that the state Commissioner of Police had
gone to visit the scene.
He said, “I don’t have all the details of what transpired now. But the
state Commissioner of Police has gone to see what actually transpired
and assuage the residents. I will get back when I finally get the
details.”
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