Operatives of the Nigerian Police and the Northern youths have clashed in Delta State on Monday.
DAILY GIST reports that the incident is coming barely 24 hours after the Nigerian Army set Okuama community in Delta State ablaze over the killing of 16 soldiers on a peace mission by the community youths.
It was gathered that the youths were protesting the alleged extortion by the Commercial Motorcycle and Tricycle Operators Association (COMTOA) in the state when the incident happened.
In obtained by DAILY GIST, armed police officers were seen shooting directly at the protesters.
No fewer than four people were said to have killed in the clash.
It was gathered that the youths, under the aegis of Arewa Union in Asaba, stormed the office of the Commercial Motorcycle and Tricycle Operators Association (COMTOA), in Asaba demanding to break away from the state-controlled body.
According to The Nation, the youths stormed various parts of the Asaba metropolis leaving destruction in its wake, before moving to the office of COMTOA, on Summit Road, where they attacked members of COMTOA Taskforce, destroying vehicles, office furniture and made away with computers and other valuables.
Director General of COMTOA, Uchenna Okafor (aka Kosoko) said: “The Arewa Community are trying to form their own union so that they can avoid paying money to the State Government.
“Last week Saturday, we got information that they were about to set up a union that is different from the one the Delta State Government has inaugurated.
“We called the SA on the Arewa Community and the Sarki of Asaba and they denied it. At about 3.00 pm that day, it was discovered that they had already inaugurated their own Arewa Task Force and that was how it started.
“They started attacking people paying for tickets through COMTOA, chasing the task force and ticket sellers but we were not deterred because the revenue is for the government.
“Yesterday, we were around GRA with the Police to enforce the law against the movement of Keke riders from 10.00 pm when we were attacked again and we eventually left the area.
“This morning, about 300 Arewa tricycle riders came to our office to attack us with cutlasses, guns, and other arms. They broke doors, windows, stole laptops, generators and phones. They also ran away with bikes”.
Coordinator of the Arewa Community on Sales of Tickets, Hashima Abubakar, condemned the youths for violent protest and appealed to them to negotiate instead of perpetrating violence.
In a post on X formerly (Twitter), Edafe said: “They are policemen deployed to quell an ongoing protest against one of the State Taskforce in Asaba pls.”
In another post on X, he said: “There was a violent protest this morning by Okada riders who had an issue last night with the state task force that led to the death of two persons.
They mobilized in their numbers this morning, destroying properties and beating people, hence our men were deployed to control the situation before it turns to something else.”
Reacting to the incident, the spokesman for the state police command, Bright Edafe said that the police personnel seen in the video were deployed by the command to stop the ongoing protest being held against a taskforce in the state.
“They are policemen deployed to quell an ongoing protest against one of the State taskforce in Asaba pls,” the police PPRO said.
Edafe’s reaction, however generated backlash from Nigerian netizens who felt the officers acted recklessly.
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