Protest over killing of youth by policemen in Nasarawa

Remi Adegoke, Lafia - 28.01.2008

HUNDREDS of youths on Sunday blocked the Makurdi-Lafia highway at a point in Mararaba-Akuza village to protest the killing of one Kabir Yahaya by a policeman.

As at 7.00 a.m, traffic on the highway had been disrupted by the aggrieved youth. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, a relative of the deceased, Khalid Yunusa, said the 22-year-old Kabir had gone to watch the Nigeria/Mali match in the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament at a viewing centre and was returning with a friend, one Gideon Sailas, when the incident occurred.

He said the deceased, an apprentice in truck mechanic workshop, was informed about sighting his stolen motorcycle a day earlier at a nearby hotel and he and his friend had gone to the hotel to comfirm if the motorcycle sighted was his.

“He went to the hotel and was trying to confirm the identity of the person who parked the motorcycle at the hotel. But unknown to him, a commercial sex worker in the hotel had telephoned the inspector in charge of the area that the hotel was under a robbery attack.

“A detachment of policemen from the outpost was dispatched to the scene immediately. On arrival they allegedly opened fire on the duo, killing Kabir instantly while Silas sustained injuries,” he said.

The police team, he said, took both victims with them but the villagers mobilised and followed the police to the station where they begged that the body of the deceased be released to them for burial since he was a Muslim, a request which, he said, the police turned down and took the corpse to the mortuary.

He said the youth had to embark on the protest on Sunday when all attempts to secure the release of the corpse for burial had failed.