By Rita Enemuru, Reporting
No fewer than 15 persons have been reportedly arrested in connection with the mild protest that snowballed into a carnage at Otovwodo junction in Ughelli, Delta State, on Tuesday.
Police had earlier countered the reports of three being feared dead in the mayhem, saying only one person died and two injured.
Fuel and granites-laden trucks, numbering over 12 were also reportedly torched during the carnage that ensued.
Following the mayhem, a dusk-to-dawn curfew has also been imposed to ward off the rampaging youths calling for a stop to an alleged indiscriminate arrest of youths suspected to be engaging in internet frauds.
The curfew has, however, not been confirmed by Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bright Edafe, when contacted by Stonix News on Wednesday afternoon.
Stonix News recalled that on Thursday September 29, 2022, no fewer than 95 suspected internet fraudsters were arrested in Warri arrested and environs in a sting operation by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Irked by the massive arrests, youths, believed to be sympathetic to the suspects, took over the Effurun Roundabout in Uvwie and Otovwodo junction in Ughelli chanting war songs and distrupting freeflow of traffic.
They armed themselves with placards rejecting and condemning further arrest of their colleagues whom they claimed had not stolen from the government coffers, but foreigners.
Meanwhile, the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Youth Wing, under the leadership of Comrade Efemena Umukoro, has condemned the ‘EFCC-must go’ protests that rocked the town on Tuesday, likening it to the October 2020 #Endsars debacle.
A statement signed by Umukoro, said: “It has come to our attention that the #EndEFCC protest in Ughelli has taken a different tone.”
“It is sad that our people have misplaced the priority and aim behind the protest.
“Protest and civil disobedience are fundamental rights of every citizens however there exists dos and don’ts.
“We hereby condemn the destruction of properties, attack and counter attack on Police personnel and vehicles
It is barbaric and unacceptable,” the statement added.
Umukoro further added that “We’ve also taken into consideration that some of our people are badly injured due to the the incident. It’s sad that this is happening.
“We shall have an on the spot assessment of the whole incident and get the true pictures of it all as we shall treat all information already gathered as speculations
Till we hear from our people.”
Furthermore, the youth group called for calm and urged those aggrieved to maintain law and order,” saying “peace is priceless.”
Meanwhile, as of the time of filing the report, Commissioner of Police, Delta State Police Command, CP Ari Muhammed Ali, is on an on-the-spot inspection of the orgy of destruction at Ughelli following the Tuesday incident.
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