Men of the State Anti-Robbery Squard and some youths were at loggerheads over the weekend. The ensuing melee was said to have cost the lives of a member of the SARS police and about 8 other persons with properties worth several millions of Naira destroyed.
Trouble was said to have started on the evening of Saturday 3rd March 2018 when a hilux car beloning to the SARS parked in front of a popular relaxation spot known as guzoro and started embarrassing some of the customers that were enjoying their weekend.
Information reaching us was that some umunze youths prevented the men of the SARS to arrest anyone from the said joint. It was duly noted that some of the youths before this very incident had earlier staged a peaceful protest 2 months ago stating that they no longer needed the police, SARS or any law enforcement agencies to arrest any body due to their intimidation and harrasment of innocent residents of the town .
The refusal of the youths in the drinking spot to succumb to the intimidation of the SARS men and their firm decision not to allow them arrest anyone from the spot irked the SARS policemen who responded by opening fire on the youths. 5 persons were said to be killed on the spot.
This development angered the indigenous youths which aroused the anger of the youths and in the process, they pounced on the officers killing one of the SARS men and set their vehicle ablaze while the other SARS officers escaped from the whiskers.
According to sources, the Umunze youths proceeded to the police station and on seeing the mob, the Divisional Police Officer called for backup assistance with the help and assistance of soldiers. But that did not seem to perturb the youths who were with gallons of petrol ready to set the station ablaze with the condition that the detained suspects arrested by the men of the SARS should be released.
