A vehicle and other properties were, on Tuesday, set ablaze by irate youths at the Igbudu community in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The violent protest staged over the murder of Mr Ejiro Ayiwe by a vigilante group saw residents and traders in the community scampering to safety.

Stores and shops were hurriedly shot even as the vehicular movement became chaotic in an area notorious for cult activities.

It was gathered that the vehicle that was set on fire during the bloody protest on Tuesday morning, belonged to the chairman of the erring vigilante group.

The protesters alleged that the vigilantes of the community had dragged the deceased, Ayiwe, to the community’s town hall (Ogwa) on Monday, February 13, for undisclosed reasons.

In most communities in the state, town halls are informal or uncensored traditional centres of arbitration often misused by youths and community leaders to intimidate, brutalize and extort money from victims.

Right there in the Igbudu community hall, the suspect, whose offence has not been made known, was held hostage and, reportedly, tortured, leading to his eventual death.

Angered by the killing of the victim, youths in the community mobilised themselves to avenge his death.

The mayhem attracted the attention of operatives of the Warri Police Command who swiftly quashed the protest and restored normalcy.

The immediate past Community’s President, Chief Ovu Oyiboaga, described the action as ‘unfortunate.”

He appealed to the aggrieved youths to sheathe their swords while efforts are on by security agencies to investigate the matter and bring the culprits to book.

Chief Oyiboaga, however, lauded the effort of the Nigerian Police for a prompt response in maintaining law and order.

President of the Industrial Parts Dealers Association, Mr Gift Onotafe, whose members also felt the heat, expressed shock over the calamity suffered by the community and his members, which he claimed, run into millions of naira.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Delta State Command, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident, saying the situation has been brought under control. (Nigerian Tribune)

Update news