One person was confirmed dead, houses burnt and no fewer than 19 persons arrested, as serious violence overwhelmed the Imo State Governor’s country home, Ogboko.

Commuters were stranded as traffic was held up for hours at the Ogboko axis of the ever busy Orlu-Mgbe-Urualla-Osina road that empties into Anambra State.

Confirming this in a telephone conversation with Vanguard Thursday, the Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Chris Okey Ezike, said: “I can confirm to you that one person died and three houses, including the community’s town hall, were burnt.

It must be said that only the roof of the town hall was affected by the fire. We have arrested 19 suspects in connection with the incident”.

According to the CP, “the identifiable crimes in this incident are murder and arson and the two are serious crimes”.

While saying that they have commenced grilling the suspects with a view to ascertaining who played what role in the incident, the CP was however of the view that the murder of a young man in the area sparked off the reprisal attack.

“The first noticeable crime was the murder of a young man. This resulted to arson. Those who went on reprisal attack should have restrained themselves, especially when they knew that the police had waded into the matter”, the CP said.

Answering another question, Mr. Ezike said that the laws of the land cannot protect anybody that employs self help in resolving a perceived criminal act.

Meanwhile, the story making the rounds yesterday in the area was that youths apprehended a suspected criminal, but he died as a result of the massive beating he received from a mob.

A villager, who claimed to be a witness of the incident but pleaded anonymity, said that “trouble started soon after somebody identified the victim of the mob action as a member of his village”.

The identity of the deceased man could not be ascertained before press time, but the police has restored normalcy in the area.

Source Vanguard