Plateau: Traditional ruler’s palace set on fire by protesters

Upon receiving a report of a fire outbreak in a house within their family compound, authorities were alerted and promptly arrived at the scene.

Tragically, they discovered that a five-year-old girl had lost her life in the fire, while two elderly individuals were rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, one of the elderly persons passed away on Thursday, and the latest information received on Friday revealed that the third person had also succumbed to their injuries. An investigation into the incident has been initiated to determine the cause of the fire.

The Minister of Steel Development, Shuaib Audu, expressed his condolences through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Lizzy Okonji, describing the incident as both tragic and sacrilegious.

The Minister extended his heartfelt sympathies to the paramount ruler of Igala kingdom, Matthew Opaluwa, for the loss of his sister, Mallama Meimunat Opaluwa-Sani, and her granddaughter. He also called upon the security agencies to thoroughly investigate the alleged arson and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice, emphasizing the need to discourage such acts of sacrilege in the land.

The District Head of Bokkos Saf Adanchin’s palace was set on fire by protesters on Friday during demonstrations against the indiscriminate arrests in the area following recent killings in the Plateau community.

The protesters, consisting mostly of youths and women, initially expressed their dissatisfaction with the arrest of community members connected to the assaults by taking their agitation to the Joint Security Task Force Operation Safe Haven base and the Divisional Police Office in the Bokkos Local Government Area community.

However, the situation escalated when they stormed the district head’s palace, overpowering the security personnel and setting the building, along with the vehicles parked within the premises, ablaze. At present, the police authorities in the state have not commented on the matter, although they had previously confirmed the arrest of eight individuals in relation to the Christmas Eve attacks in the area.

Meanwhile, the Bokkos Progressive Youths have accused the security operatives of bias since the attacks, highlighting the continuous violation of human rights by the military deployed to prevent further incidents.