Irate youths in Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area, Edo State, have burnt down a police station after the alleged kidnap and killing of a young man.
The youths who claimed the police were providing cover for the suspected hoodlums along set ablaze police vehicles at the station.
The people claimed that the criminal elements were kidnapping and killing people in the area for suspected organ harvesting, hence their protest.
The incident that led to the violence, according to a resident, was the case of a young boy who was said to have been kidnapped some weeks ago and after ransom was paid, he was still not released.
It was gathered that the community youths were able to track the phone and the user was arrested and handed over to the police, and that in the process, the user was traced to the head of a community in the area.
Apparently not satisfied with the way the police were handling the matter, the youth were said to have stormed the police station and took away the suspect, who it was gathered, led them to the house of the community leader where, on prodding, allegedly confessed that several kidnapped victims had been killed and buried in shallow graves after parts of their bodies were harvested.
The infuriated youths dug out the decomposing body of a young man in the compound of the community leader, who it was gathered, reportedly fled with his family.
It was also learnt that while the youth were digging the compound, several bones believed to be those of humans were recovered.
In anger, the youths were said to have burnt down the building and then the business centres of several people, killing some of them, before storming the police station to set it ablaze.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone 5, Arungwa Udo, and the Commissioner of Police in the state, Nemi Edwin-Iwo, have visited the area to restore order.
