3 dead as youths set senator’s house ablaze

Five people were reported dead while tension enveloped Lafiagi town in the Edu local government area of Kwara State after an attack between youths of the town and men of the Senator representing Kwara North senatorial district, Alhaji Shaaba Lafiagi on Friday night.

The state command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has, however, confirmed the death of three people in the area in what could be seen as pre-local government election crisis.

It was gathered that crisis erupted when some youths barred Senator Shaaba from coming into the town.

The Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr. Kunle Bilesanmi, said the command could not ascertain those who shot the victims.

Eyewitness account said that the youth were allegedly angered by the failure of the Senator to assist the community in repair of a collapsed culvert leading to the town, adding that they had barricaded the road when Sha’aba was coming into his hometown for the council election, threatening that he would not come in through the culvert that they personally mobilised to temporarily rehabilitate.

The source said that the senator had to call for security reinforcement when he could not gain access into the town, while the security men, mostly soldiers, allegedly shot sporadically and killed three people among the youth.

This action of the military according to the source led the youth to burn down the residential building of the senator.

“Not soon that he (Shaaba) was coming in, the youth block the road the he would not enter because he didn’t assist them with the fixing of the culvert.

This led to the killing of three youths by the soldiers. “When it was becoming too difficult to enter, he sought for a security reinforcement.

“These soldiers that came started shooting sporadically and this led to the killing of three youth.

“The youth also avenged by setting the residential building of the senator on fire,” the source said.

A man, who said that his young brother was among the three victims, threatened that no election would hold in the town.

Lafiagi is the headquarters of Edu local government, a council that populated by the Nupe minorities in the state.