Okey Sampson, Umuahia

The #EndSARS protests that have raged across the country for days,
took a dangerous dimension in Aba, Abia State yesterday when
protesters in the commercial city killed a policeman and burnt down a
police station.

The protest which saw thousands of youths took to the streets of Aba,
to call for an end to police brutality, came barely 24 hours a similar
protest took place in Umuahia, the state capital with some renowned
musical and Nollywood actors joining to lend their voices to the
#EndSARS call.

As its always customary, the protest which took off from the Ariaria
end of Faulks road through Okigwe and Azikiwe roads with the
protesters bearing placards with several inscriptions calling for an
end to police brutality and demand for a new and better Nigeria and
among other things, was peaceful until it got to the Ogbor Hill axis
of the city.

The hitherto peaceful protest, turned violent when the protesters
burnt a police station housing the Dragon Police command and
reportedly killing one policeman in the process.

Information had it that when the protesters got to the Aba area
command, they were addressed by some senior police officers and they
left to Eziama police station, where they were equally addressed by
some officers.

However, it was gathered that when the protesters got to Dragon Squad,
policemen shot in the air to scare the protesters and this was said to
have angered the protesting youths who then burnt the station
popularly known as Zone 6.

Two policemen were said to have been killed in the process.

According to policeman who escaped the ire of the protesters by
whiskers, “I was in the office when I heard noise from the protesters
and rushed outside to know what the matter was all about. Before you
could know what was happening, everywhere was on fire and two of my
colleagues died in the melee”.

The protesters after setting the police station ablaze, marched to the
entrance  of the Nigerian Television Authority channel 6, Aba where
they blocked the Aba/Ikot Ekpene Highway.

The protest caused gridlock in most parts of the city as traffic moved
at snail pace, with commuters and other road users spending a good
part of their day on the roads.

Some of the protesters said they were not going to bow to any pressure
from both the state and federal government until the government and
those at the helm of affairs in the military and police do the right
thing.

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