There was confusion Thursday morning in Kaduna State when youths numbering about 200 burnt a Church and a Police station in Narayi in Chikun local government area of Kaduna.
The youths, it was learnt, set ablaze a branch of the Celestial Church of God as well as a police outpost in Narayi, while protesting the death of a mason, Friday Sylvester, who was working for the pastor of the church, Babatunde Shittu.
The rampaging youths burnt down the Church and the Police station when they demanded that the Police in Narayi hand over to them the pastor in charge of the church where the young man died.
The youths, it was learnt, accused Shittu of having a hand in Sylvester’s death.
It was gathered that the Police had taken the pastor into protective custody after he had reported that a youth doing some construction work for the church had died in the process.
The refusal of the police to release Shittu led the youths to regroup at about 4am on Thursday to set the police station ablaze.
An eyewitness said that the hoodlums outnumbered the Police personnel on duty, hence they ran away for safety, leading to the burning of the Police station by the angry youth.
He said that the youths also made away with no fewer than seven motorcycles belonging to policemen as well as vandalizing a Honda Accord vehicle belonging to an officer.
The Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer, Mukhtar Aliyu, a Superintendent of Police, who confirmed the incident, said security had been beefed up in the area.
He said about five persons had been arrested in connection with the incident.
The Church was still burning around 9:30am when Newsmen visited the scene of the incident.
At the Church premises, four other buildings were pulled down, while the church was razed down completely.
Aliyu also said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Austin Iwar, had ordered investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has condemned the burning of the church and the police outpost.
He said it was wrong and illegal for anyone or group to take the laws into their own hands.
A statement by the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, said, “It is wrong and illegal for anyone or group to take the law into their own hands, Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai said on Thursday, as he condemned the burning of a church and police station.
“The governor also ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the labourer, whose demise allegedly prompted the riotous conduct, as well as the apprehension of all those who partook in or enabled the acts of arson.”
