Police arrest students over attack on teachers, police in Edo

The police in Edo State said they have arrested some students in connection with an attack on teachers at Idogbo Secondary School in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state.

Bello Katongs, the police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the arrest on Tuesday in Benin.

Mr Katongs, a superintendent of police, said some of the arrested students have been arraigned in court.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that students of the school on Friday went on a rampage, destroying cars and other facilities in the school.

The students also reportedly set some offices ablaze and attacked police officers deployed to the school to maintain law and order.

The immediate cause of the crisis was the unwillingness of the students to write their terminal examinations, according to a source in the school who did not want his name mentioned in the story since he was not authorised to speak on the crisis.

“As our tradition here is during the end of every term examinations, we do invite security officers to avoid any breakdown of law and order.

“The exam was to finish on December 10, some days before vacation.

“But days before the start of examinations, we were battling with students throwing fireworks in the school compound.

“When the examinations started, we invited some policemen and vigilante members in case of any eventuality.

“So because we anticipated that there could be a disturbance, the first set of policemen came, while we waited for others.

ALSO READ: 88 suspected criminals arrested in Edo in November – Police

“Suddenly we noticed students chasing one of the policemen on duty around the compound and some of his colleagues came to his rescue.

“Before we knew it, other students began to throw stones and other weapons.

“When the situation became uncontrollable, teachers started scampering for their lives and the students went berserk, destroying everything on sight.

“The police sought for reinforcement, but yet they couldn’t control the crisis until men of the Department of State Service arrived and scared them with gunshots,” he said.

According to the source, about 45 of the students who were hiding in the bush were arrested.

(NAN)