Police arrest three over alleged killing, burning of houses over girlfriend in Edo
Three Arrested in Edo State After Alleged Homicide and Arson
The Edo State Police Command has apprehended three suspects linked to the killing of a young man and the subsequent burning of four houses in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area. The arrests were confirmed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, during a press briefing in Benin City on June 15.
Ikoedem clarified that contrary to earlier reports, only four houses were set ablaze, not seven. The incidents occurred on June 12, shortly after the community’s annual Olimi Festival.
Sources indicate that the violence began during a celebration for the burial of a local chief. A dispute reportedly arose when one young man became agitated over another’s interaction with a girl he had brought to the event. This confrontation led to the suspect allegedly attacking the other man with a cutlass, inflicting fatal injuries.
Following the victim’s death at a local hospital, angered youths from the deceased’s neighborhood mobilized to confront the suspect, who had already fled. Enraged by the suspect’s absence, the group retaliated by setting homes ablaze before dispersing from the scene.
Several residents have since left the community in fear of potential reprisals.
