From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
Over twenty persons have been arrested by the Benue State Police Command over wanton destruction of property in Oju local government area of the state.
The suspects were arrested on Sunday morning at the scene of crime while destroying and setting ablaze property following disagreement on Saturday over where to site a school in the locality by a firm which agreed to build one for them.
Our correspondent who was at the parade of the suspected arsonists at the command headquarters of the Benue State police, Makurdi, on Tuesday disclosed that the commissioner of police, CP Alawari Okoro, ordered them to be charged to court immediately after interrogation.
The Police Public Relations’ officer, SP Catherine Anene who briefed the media, said no life was lost but that peace has been restored in the communities.
SP Anene said a firm had promised to build a school for the communities but at the point of agreeing to a location where it will be built, they all left for the day only to wake up the next morning which was on a Sunday morning where some youths started destroying property and set close to twenty houses ablaze.
“When police and some other security agencies got there, they found some youths at the scene still wrecking havoc before they were arrested.”
The Police image maker, described the scale of damage done by the suspected arsonists as ‘massive’, saying no one is allowed to take laws into their hands and assured that they all will be prosecuted according to the law.
