One person has been reported dead as a riot erupted in the early hours of Tuesday in Kaffinkoro town in the Paikoro local government area of Niger state.
The riot followed the reported burning to death of Catholic Clergyman Reverend Isaac Achi by bandits while his assistant Reverend Collins was shot and had been hospitalised.
The presence of policemen deployed to provide security at a prayer session for the dead clergyman sparked the riot.
The riot was said to have started when some women and youth in the town assembled at the burnt vicarage of the Catholic Diocese to offer prayers for the repose of the soul of the departed clergyman and against those who have been terrorising the town and for God to expose the perpetrators.
While the prayer was going on, a detachment of police officers were sent to serve as security for the people but their presence was not accepted as the people asked them to leave since they couldn’t protect the parish priest.
It was gathered that the police refused to leave and this angered the people and they began to throw objects at the police men.
It was then that the police were said to have fired shots to disperse the protestants. Unfortunately, the bullet hit one of them who died immediately, while others were injured.
The situation escalated resulting in the police station being set ablaze.
Efforts to get police confirmation of the incident were abortive as the Police Commissioner and heads of other security agencies were said to be holding “emergency security meeting on the issue” at the state police headquarters.
