Irate Youths Attack Delta Council Boss, Cart Away Rifles

By Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

Angry youths in Mosogar Community in Ethiope West LGA, Delta on Tuesday attacked the local council boss, Oghenedoro Owoso, injuring a policemen and carting away two riffles belonging to his security aides.

The Nation gathered the youths also injured a policeman attached to the chairman and one of his aides.

It was learnt youths in the community were protesting an eight- year blackout when the council tried to pacify the crowd before he was attacked.

It was also gathered some youths abducted two BEDC officials on patrol in the community.

A source, Mr Anthony Akpotobor, said: “After the officials were abducted, they tried to force them to fuse the light, the police was informed and the Mosogar Divisional Police Officer, DPO, reached out to the chairman of the council, who in turn drove in to pacify them, that was when he was attacked.”

Another source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the chairman approached the crowd because he felt he could pacify them.

“They attacked us and disarmed one of the policemen attached to the chairman and in the process, one of the chairman’s aides was shot and the mobile policeman was injured.

“Another aide to the chairman and a mobile policeman was abducted and taken away to a shrine close to the river and they were about taking them with a boat through the river when security men came to rescue them.”

The chairman, who confirmed the attack, called for dialogue, warning that violence was counter-productive.

He said some suspects have been arrested over the missing rifles.

Residents of Mosogar have been without electricity for eight years, leading to protest from the community last November.

Thousands of the residents also trooped to the ever-busy Benin–Warri highway to protest the situation last April.