Three persons lost their lives on Wednesday, while several others sustained varying degrees of injury when some youths set ablaze a popular church, Sotitobire Praising Chapel, at the Oshinle Quarter in Akure, Ondo State.
For several hours on Wednesday, social and economic activities were paralysed in the area following the violence.
Some houses and vehicles purportedly belonging to the church were also set on fire by the irate youths, while a police patrol vehicle was also vandalised.
One of the deceased victims was a policeman, whose identity had not been ascertained.
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The eyewitness added that while the protest was going on, a team of policemen arrived the scene and started shooting indiscriminately and stray bullets hit two of the youth, who died on the spot.
Gold disappeared from the church during a Sunday service last month and his whereabouts have remained unknown, with his parents alleging that the police were not conducting a proper investigation into the matter.
A source stated that the residents of the area got angry when some pastors of the church started the morning service on Wednesday.
They reportedly attacked the church and one of the policemen guarding the place of worship was mobbed.
It was also learnt that the pastor of the church, Prophet Alfa Babatunde, was in the custody of the Department of State Services in Akure, where he was being interrogated on the matter.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Femi Joseph, who confirmed the death of the policeman and one protester, said the command had drafted more personnel to restore normalcy in the area. Punch
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Ondo Missing child