Attackers burn down police station in Ekiti, injuring two officers

Two police officers were hurt when suspected attackers set the Isan Police Station on fire in Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Friday evening. This information came from a police officer who spoke to this newspaper on the condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to discuss the incident.

The officer mentioned that the attack started around 6 p.m. One of the injured officers is in a coma and is getting treatment at a hospital.

Several vehicles were destroyed in the attack. Among them was a long bus that police personnel had reportedly hired from Abuja. The officer explained that the Police Mobile Force got wind of the attack while they were heading to Isan from Oye. They managed to stop the attackers before they could take over the community.

He also claimed that officers from the station ran away when the attackers came. But he said security personnel have since taken control of the area and restored calm.

A visit to the station by PREMIUM TIMES showed that the facility suffered extensive damage. The newspaper saw two vehicles in the police station yard that were burnt, along with a generator and other equipment destroyed in the fire. The windows, doors, and ceilings of the station were also damaged.

Outside the station, three more vehicles were found burnt. This latest attack adds to a series of assaults on police facilities in Ekiti State over the years. In 2016, suspected gunmen attacked the Ido-Ekiti Divisional Police Station. They killed a police inspector, injured two other officers, and stole weapons from the armoury.

During the #EndSARS protests in 2020, hoodlums also vandalised and set fire to police facilities in different parts of the state, including Ikere-Ekiti. As of the time of writing this report, the Ekiti State Police Command had not released any official statement about the incident.