Slain Priest: Niger Residents, Police Clash, Station Set Ablaze

Following the murder of the Very Reverend Father Isaac Achi by terrorists in Niger State, residents of Paikoro Local Government Area have burnt the Kafin-Koro Police Divisional Office after they clashed with officers.

One of the residents who gave his name as Jonathan revealed that the incident which took place on Tuesday morning started when some women comprising Evangelical Church Winning All and Catholic women groups gathered at the premises of the burnt Parish at 7 am to pray against those who burnt the Catholic priest.

“As the women were praying, some policemen arrived at the venue saying they were a detachment from the Kafin-Koro Police Division drafted to the church to provide protection for them.

“The women rejected the protection and requested that the police should leave because the police didn’t provide protection for the dead priest neither did they show up on time when they were called,” he stated.

According to Jonathan, the police refused to leave and that angered the women who hurled stones and sachet water at them, forcing the former group to depart.

The women were joined by the village youths in a peaceful protest but things took a different turn when the policemen started shooting at them, killing one of the villagers.

“After the prayers, the women were joined by some youths to match peacefully through the major road of the town to the Police Division chanting anti-police slogans to the Police Division to register their grievances as they asked the police to leave the town since their presence is of no security value to the community.

“As the police were trying to disperse the crowd, the police began shooting into the air and one of the bullets hit a man who died immediately so that was how the protest turned violent."

Jonathan added that the angry youths set the police division office ablaze in the aftermath of things turning ugly.