Kidnappings: Benue youths stage protest, block federal highway
Youths from Ojali community in the Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State stormed the Otukpo/Adoka/Oweto federal highway, on Friday, to protest the incidences of kidnapping in their communities.
The son of a chief in the area, Edache Ochojila, informed City Round that the straw that broke the camel’s back was the abduction of 11 commuters early in the week.
He said, “About six days back, they kidnapped about 11 persons along the Otukpo-Ojali-Oweto Road. We contacted the police and they said they don’t have bullets to come and all efforts to arrest these boys proved abortive.
“But this morning when we went to search the bush we were able to apprehend one of the suspects. On our way back, the police intercepted us and seized the suspect from us but allowed the others in the bush to run away.”
Ochojila added that motorists coming from the Eastern part of the country to Abuja and opposite directions were stranded for hours due to the blockage of the road by the protesters. Confirming the protest, the state Commissioner of Police, Batholomew Onyeka, accused the youths of destroying the police station at Ojali community because his officers were against jungle justice when they were to meet the arrested suspect.
“They (youths) brought the suspect and the police are in the custody of the suspect. They wanted to transport him to Makurdi but the villagers, the people there wanted to collect the suspect from the police to kill. Is it proper?
“If you go to the police station there now, you will see that they damaged the police building and the windscreen of the area command. Our people take laws into their hands for no reason. Somebody was arrested; why didn’t you people kill him when he was arrested?
“Now when they are with the police, you want to take the suspect from the police and kill them. It’s not the right way of doing things and that’s what prompted all these things but the area now is very calm. Police have been able to restore peace,” Onyeka said. Punch
