Bayelsa State Police Command has denied receiving calls on alleged gunmen attack at Okoroba in Nembe Local Government.
Spokesperson Asinim Butswat yesterday told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)that the command was unaware of the incident.
Some residents claimed that the police did not respond to calls during alleged attacks on the home of the late Oronto Douglas, and others.
The late Douglas, ex-commissioner for Information, was a special adviser on Research and Documentation to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Oronto’s younger brother, Gift, told NAN that he reported the incident, when it was happening, to the command’s spokesman and Nembe Police Division.
“It is strange and unbelievable that the police will say they are not aware of a crime for which I made a distress call to Butswat.
“We even called Bayelsa State government’s Special Joint Security outfit, ‘Doo Akpo’ and it told us that it had a challenge reaching our community because we are not linked by road.
“The community has written about the incident; a copy of the petition is available for all to see,” Gift said.
He said he contacted other security teams patrolling waterways, claiming that none came to the community’s rescue.
According to him, 15 gunmen, on Tuesday night, attacked Okoroba, stealing property worth millions of naira.
A community leader, Chief Azibatonye Nengimonyo, told NAN that the gunmen shot sporadically to scare people.
“The gunmen invaded our community at 9p.m; some of them wore masks.
“They robbed the community, even the home of our late brother, Chief Douglas.
“The hoodlums stole property worth millions of naira,” he said.
Nengimonyo appealed to the government to deploy security men to protect the community.
Another resident, who preferred anonymity, appealed to the police to deploy men and officers in rural communities with no security presence.