By Imuentinyan Fred
OVIA NORTH-EAST- No fewer than five persons have been confirmed dead just as the Police station and a nearly residential building in Usen Community in Edo State were burnt down by some suspected cultists and students of the state Polytechnic during a violent protest that rocked the area.
This is even as the State Police Command have declared wanted Friday Imono ‘m’, Bright Ugho, ‘m’, and three others over their alleged involvement in the violent prostest.
The dead victims, identified as Mr. Yusuf Bamidele, Osaze Peter, Amos Elizabeth, Lasisi Annabel( daughter of a Counsellorship aspirant). and Miss Osagie Osasenaga were said to have been inside their house (the nearby house to the police station) when tragedy struck.
It was learnt that the initial peaceful protest of the students who were demanding for modern infrastructures and change of the school name from Edo State Institute of Technology and Management to Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, on March 21, 2012, snowballed into violent prostest following the killing of one of the protesters by the police who according to eyewitness attempted to stop the prostest.
According to an eyewitness account, trouble started when the police in a bid to stop the protest shot dead one of the protesters, this allegedly prompted some students suspected to be dare-devil cultists to go beserk as they invaded the police station in area, freed suspects who were in detention before setting it ablazed.
The situation according to our sources further escalated as the fire from the police station extended to a nearly residential building and burn the six occupants to death.
Lasisi Annabel, the daughter of the Counsellorship aspirant who was in a campaign at the PDP Secretariat near the police station was amongst those burnt beyond recognition
Angered by the death of their Councillorship hopeful child, some members of the campaign trail went on rampage as they destroyed properties and items belonging to the students.
In a telephone conversation, spokesperson for the community, Elder Paul Bayo, said that the police in the area are not active enough as there are incessant and unchallenged activities of cultists in the area.
Contacted, the Edo State Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Osifo Abiodun, who confirmed the report disclosed that three suspected cultists in connection with the incident have been arrested.
He informed that the command has intensified effort to arresting the alleged fleeing Friday Imono and Bright Ugho, and called on members of the public who may have useful information that would lead to arrest of the fleeing trio to approach any security formation in the country as such information would be treated in strict confidentiality..
At press time, combined team of security operatives were already in the community apparently to maintain peace and order in the area.
