Protesting Youths Burn Plateau Farmer’s House

Some angry youths on Tuesday morning set the house of a farmer ablaze within the Angwa Rukuba-Etoo Baba community in the Jos area of Plateau State.

Our correspondent gathered that the angry youths also went to his poultry farm within the locality and looted his birds before setting the farm ablaze as well.

A resident of the community, Mrs Janet Haruna, who confirmed the incident to PUNCH Online in Jos on Tuesday, said the action of the youths followed an alleged killing of a security man said to be working for the farmer.

Haruna said, “We need help in our Angwa Rukuba-Etoo Baba community in Jos North LGA because some angry youths have just set the house of a farmer on fire.

“The fire has just burnt the house, including the cars packed in the farmer’s compound, and it has just spread to another building belonging to his neighbour.

“From what I heard, the youth were angry because a security man working for the farmer was killed after he was accused of stealing some eggs from his poultry farm.

“It was the farmer’s son who was alleged to have killed the security guard at the poultry farm. The son, who had been suspecting the security guard of stealing, was said to have caught him red-handed and started beating him; in the process, the security guard collapsed and died; then the youth came to their family house and set it ablaze. The corpse of the security guard has been evacuated to the hospital.”

It was learnt that men of the state fire service had arrived in the community to stop the fire from spreading to other areas, while security operatives had been deployed to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

When contacted, the spokesman for the state police command, Alabo Alfred, referred our correspondent to the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area, whom he said was already working to address the situation.

Source: Punch