The headquarters of Etsako East Local Government Area in Edo State, Agenebode, was rocked by violent riots on Sunday, with several people reportedly killed due to accusations of organ harvesting and kidnapping.
AFRIPOST gathered that the violence started because of claims that the police were protecting criminal Fulani gangs who were accused of abduction and organ harvesting.
The Independent claims that the kidnapping of a child weeks prior was the catalyst for the violence that broke out on Sunday.
The public was incensed that the boy had not been freed even after the ransom was paid. After local youths traced the boy’s phone, they located a suspect and turned him over to the authorities.
The suspect was reportedly connected to a prominent figure in the local Hausa/Fulani community after more inquiry.
Dissatisfied with the way the police handled the matter, youths from the village attacked the police station and took the suspect, who allegedly took them to the Hausa/Fulani leader’s home.
After being interrogated extensively, he allegedly admitted that several of the abducted people had been killed and their organs removed before being buried in shallow graves.
Infuriated by this discovery, the young people excavated the decaying body of the abducted youngster in the leader’s compound, where they allegedly found human bones that were thought to belong to further victims.
The property and other Hausa/Fulani-related assets, including commercial centres, were then set on fire by the demonstrators.
The violence apparently claimed the lives of a few neighbourhood members before the crowd set fire to the police station.
One of the protesting youths voiced their frustration, saying, “Enough is enough; this has to end. The police kill our children and still take money from us. These kidnappers abduct our children, collect money—₦2.5 million, sometimes ₦3 million—and still end up killing the victims.”
Mrs Benedicta Atoh, the council’s chairman, was too shocked at the incident to comment.
In reaction to the developing crisis, Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 5, Arungwa Udo, and Edo State Commissioner of Police, Nemi Edwin-Iwo, visited Agenebode to survey the damage and restore order to the community.