As residents especially suspected hoodlums continue to defy the 24-hour curfew imposed in Edo State since Monday, officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) engaged some youths in a gun battle while attempting to burn down Oregbeni Police station in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area.
Suspected hoodlums also protesting in the guise of #EndSARS attacked and vandalized a Toyota Hilux operational van of the Nigerian Airforce at Benin-Agbor road.
It was gathered that while gunshots rented the air along Agbor Road, which is the same road linking Oregbeni police station, motorists and pedestrians scampered for safety.
It was further gathered that after the youths were dispersed by the officers of the Police from mounting roadblock, they retreated and subsequently mobilise again with the intention to set the station on fire.
READ ALSO:Â UN condemns army killings, calls for reform of Nigerian security forces
However, officers of the station were said to have got wind of the planned attack and mobilised more officers to prevent the irate youths from destroying the station.
An eyewitness account said the youths who were armed with guns and other dangerous weapons started firing at the police but the reprisal from the police forced them to retreat.
The eyewitness said the shooting lasted for over 20 minutes before the army arrived and the youths escaped the scene with a threat to come back.
He explained that the hoodlums after they were repelled by the police, moved to Agbor Park area where they broke into alcoholic warehouse and carted away drinks.
Meanwhile, the attack on the operational van of the Nigerian Airforce at Benin- Agbor road, occurred shortly after some mobile policemen allegedly vandalized and looted a black-coloured Lexus RX330, marked Edo: AKA 235 RZ, a property of one of the protesters.
All musical instruments and a power generating set with which the protesters held a carnival on the road for the past four days, were allegedly destroyed by the policemen after vandalizing the vehicle.
No sooner had the protesters mobilized to the road than a Hilux van of about six Airforce personnel dressed in combat uniform drove into the roadblock from the Ramat Park side of the road.
The angry protesters who defied warnings from the Airforce personnel blocked their way and forced them to a halt.
It was also gathered that some of the suspected hoodlums jumped into the back cabin of the van, while others smashed the front windscreen of the vehicle.
Earlier, anti-riot policemen shot repeatedly to disperse #EndSARS protesters along Benin/Agbor Road, by Winners Church.
It was gathered that the security operatives who were heading towards Agbor, ordered the protesters who blocked the road to open the way for them, but met stiff resistance.
