Angry youths from Obazu Mbieri in the Mbaitoli Council Area of Imo State Monday morning besieged the Mbieri Police Station with a warning to the police to refrain from arresting anyone from their community since they failed to assist them in their effort to nab fleeing kidnappers.
The angry youths, who were also captured in a viral video, were angry that kidnappers operated unchallenged in their town for about three hours.
Resorting to self-help, the youths blocked off all the exit roads to frustrate the escape of the criminals.
One of the youths, who narrated the incident but did not identify himself, said: “The kidnappers abandoned their operational vehicles when the youths blocked all the roads and took to walking. They even had enough time to fix one of their faulty vehicles yet the police failed to intervene and support the efforts of the community youths.
“Before now, the youths who had no firearms, had contacted the police and begged them to come with their weapons and help them arrest the kidnappers, instead ‘the policemen ran away’ abandoning the youths to their fate.
“Without any resistance from the Police, the kidnappers removed the barriers and dismantled the barricade without any urgency, and then made good their escape.”
In anger, the youths stormed the Mbieri Police Station and banned the police from ever arresting anyone from their town henceforth, since they cannot arrest criminals who were obviously cornered, trapped and waiting to be arrested.