By Ijeoma Obioma
Angry youths on Friday blocked the Otukpo-Adoka-Oweto-Abuja federal highway in Ojali community of Ohimini Local Government Area in Benue State to protest continued kidnapping of villagers by armed invaders.
The protest was against an alleged inability of the police to clampdown on kidnapping activities in the area and to rescue victims from their abductors.
The protesters claimed that few days ago, 11 people were kidnapped in two villages of Ohimini LGA and that the youths of the area successfully combed the surrounding bushes to rescue the victims during which they also apprehended the suspected kidnappers.
However, they alleged that the reason for their protest was because the police ceased the suspects from them (youths) and that some of the suspects also escaped in the process.
The blockage of the road, however, left travellers going or coming from Abuja stranded for several hours on Friday, as the protesting youths demanded an end to incessant kidnapping in the area.
George Abah, a lawyer, who was caught up in the traffic, said he had spent over three hours on the spot as at 3p.m, noting that the villagers alleged that the police didn’t act promptly when some people were kidnapped in the area including a man who was taking his son to school.
“The protest is peaceful anyway but I understand the village head has called for calm and appealing to his people to vacate the road,” Abah said.
Edache Ochojila, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, said that they want an end to insecurity in their area, adding that the 11 people rescued were currently receiving treatment at the Teaching Hospital in Otukpo.
He explained, “About six days back, they kidnapped about 11 persons in our area -Ai-Egaji and Ai-Oga. We contacted the police and they said they don’t have bullets to come and all efforts to arrest these boys proved abortive.
“But on Friday morning when we apprehended one of the suspects
on our way back, the police intercepted us and ceased the suspect from us and allowed the other people to run away.
“Over 400 vehicles parked were here (that was at about 3:10p.m). Yes, we are still blocking the road. It’s a peaceful protest, we are not harming anybody, everybody is rejoicing with us and showing solidarity.
“For over five hours now, no vehicle has been passing through our community.
“We will vacate the road when they bring the suspects to us. It is the suspect that we need not the police.”
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Bathelomew Onyeka, told journalists in Makurdi that the protesting youths brought the suspect to the police by themselves.
“They brought the suspect and police is in custody of the suspect and wanting to transport them to Makurdi and other enquiry but the villagers, the people there (protesters at Ojali) wanted to collect the suspect from the police to kill.Is it proper?
“If you go to the police 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; now when they are with the police, you now want to take the suspect from the police and kill.
“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 has been able to restore peace.
“Jungle Justice is not the way out. They should allow investigation and that will even afford them the opportunity to get the ones that ran away,” the commissioner said.
But Ochojila,however,disputed the commissioner on allegation of destruction of police building, saying that they did not attack the police station.
“There was nothing like that. They have guns and we do not have weapons, how can we go and destroy their station, it’s not possible,”he said.
Edited by Dada Ahmed .
