The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bayelsa State

  • Commission on Amasomma crisis begins sitting in Bayelsa

    The six-member Bayelsa State Commission of Inquiry set up by the state government to look into Amassoma civil disturbances and unrest began sitting recently.

    The commission commenced hearing on the crisis at the Multi-Door Court House, High Court Complex, Ovom, Yenagoa, the state capital. The Bayelsa State Goveror Seriake Dickson inaugurated the commission following the crisis that engulfed Amassoma, host community of the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU).

    The commission was mandated to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the civil disturbances that occurred in and around Amassoma. During the riot, about five persons were reportedly killed and many persons injured  in the violent clash which occurred between security operatives and indigenes of the university town in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

    The governor gave the commission a nine-point terms of reference including the identification of the perpetrators of the unlawful acts and their sponsors and to determine the extent of damage to property, both public as well as private, if any during the incident.

    He also urged the commission to recommend measures aimed at averting future occurrences of such incidents within and around the NDU and its host communities, as well as make any other recommendations that might be deemed fit in the circumstances.

    The Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, Mr. Michael Zuokumor, Deputy Inspector General of Police (retd.), said relevant stakeholders turned up for the hearing on Monday. He said some persons submitted their memoranda including the Vice-Chancellor, NDU, Prof. Samuel Edoumiekumo.

    Zuokumor added that the commission was not going to work on memoranda alone but would take oral evidences to ascertain the truth of what transpired during the incident.

    He said: “There were some disturbances in Amassoma community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The road to the Niger Delta University was blocked; there was so much violence and the university was seriously looted.

    “From what learnt, lives were even lost. The essence of this commission is a fact-finding one to look into the issues that happened. The commission is not to indict anybody but to ascertain what happened so that we can do whatever we can prevent such from happening again in the state.

    “We have received memoranda from the university and from other persons; we do not work on memoranda alone. This is fact-finding; we also take oral evidences. The strict rules of criminal trial do not take place here since it is fact-finding. But in order for people not to mislead us, they are meant to swear to an oath.”

  • Bayelsa politician standing trial for rape is not our member, says APC

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Thursday disowned a known politician and former Security Adviser in the state, Richard Perekeme Kodoh.

    Kpodoh was first arraigned before a Magistrate Court on a two-count of unlawfully detaining and raping one Miss Teke Blessing on June 20, 2018 at his hotel in Etegwe, Yenagoa.

    He was remanded in prison custody but was later re-arraigned before the state High Court, where he reportedly collapsed following an undisclosed illness.

    But the APC in a statement signed by its Publicity  Secretary, Doifie Buokoribo, frowned on attempts to link Kpodoh  to APC.

    Buokoribo said: “While we wholeheartedly welcome his trial in a court of law for his alleged crime, we condemn the conscious or unconscious attempt to link our party with Mr. Kpodo.

    “Headlines like ‘Bayelsa APC Chieftain Charged for Rape’; ‘Bayelsa APC Stalwart remanded in Prison for allged rape’; “APC Chieftain thrown into Prison for alleged rape in Bayelsa’, etc amount to a structured misrepresentation of facts. He is not one of us. Richard Kpodo has not been our party member”.

    Read Also: I am not ready to dump APC – Kalu

    Buokoribo said Kpodoh worked for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) claiming that he is a member of the PDP.

    He said Kpodoh with solid support from the PDP launched a serial campaign of calumny against the state leader of APC, Chief Timipre Sylva.

    He said recently Kpodoh called Sylva unprintable names and wondered when his relationship with the PDP came to an end.

    He said: “However, we know Kpodo for his monstrous cruelty and notoriety. We are not surprised that at long last, he is having his day in court for the crime of rape. We challenge him to clear his name.

    “The charge of rape against Kpodo has nothing to do with the APC. We are a party of responsible people. We are determined to work for a greater Bayelsa State that will guarantee progress and prosperity for all in Bayelsans”.

  • Bayelsa APC disowns ex-chair, faults defection claims

    The All Progressives Congress (APC), Bayelsa State Chapter, has disowned its former Chairman, Mr. Tiwei Orunimighe, dismissing his claims of defecting to another party with APC members.

    The APC in a statement on Tuesday by its state Publicity Secretary, Doifie Buokoribo, said Orunimighe reserved the right to join any party of his choice, but to try to use APC as leverage in negotiations with his new party was irresponsible.

    It explained that “Orunimighe and his group of renegades were expelled” from APC for antiparty activities since August last year by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

    The party advised members of the public to disregard the defection claim by “people who want to join a party of their choice,” saying, “APC in Bayelsa State remains intact, united, strong, and focused.”

    Read Also: I’m not bothered about defections in APC – Buhari

    The statement said: “It has come to the knowledge of the All Progressives Congress, Bayelsa State Chapter, that a certain Mr. Timipa Tiwei Orunimighe is claiming membership of our party. In negotiations with another party which he wishes to join, the said Orunimighe is presenting himself as a member of APC planning to ‘defect’ to another party with about ‘100 of his followers’.

    “We have no problems with Orunimighe joining any party of his choice. It is within his rights to so do. However, to claim that he is defecting from our party with more than 100 members is false, misleading and irresponsible.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the APC in Bayelsa State used to have a chairman named Mr Timipa Tiwei Orunimighe. Orunimighe and his group of renegades were expelled since August last year for anti-party activities.

    “They were expelled by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) via a letter with reference no: APC/HDQ/SSZ/31/017/002. The letter was signed by Hon. Mai Mala Buni, National Secretary. As at today, Orunimighe and his group are not members of our party.

    “We call on unsuspecting members of the public not to allow themselves to be duped Into believing the campaign of disinformation that some people who want to join a party of their choice are defecting from our party. APC in Bayelsa state remains intact, united, strong, and focused”.

  • IYC kicks as police post four commissioners to Bayelsa in two weeks 

    The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Worldwide, has criticised the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, for posting four commissioners of police to Bayelsa State within two weeks.

    The Secretary-General of the IYC, Mr. Alfred Kemepado, said that it was suspicious curious for the Force Headquarters to post four commissioners of police to one state, within such a short period of time.

    He alleged that the action of the Force Headquarters alleged was a surreptitious plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to politicize the security architecture of the state using the police.

    He insisted that the aim was to cause  instability and destabilize Bayelsa and appealled to the police not to allow themselves to be used by politicians.

     

    Kemepado said the Commissioner of Police, Don Awunah, was removed after he had worked very hard in collaboration with sister security agencies to safeguard the state within a short period of his deployment to the state.

    He lamented the frequent change of guard in the leadership of the police in the state within two weeks following the redeployment of Awunah.

    He listed the police commissioners posted to Bayelsa in the last two weeks to include Joseph Mukan, Ahmed Bello, Ahmad Abdulrahman and Austin Iwar.

    He recalled that critical stakeholders had earlier warned against politicization of security in the interests of peace.

    Kemepado said that following the transfer of Awunah to the headquarters, Bayelsa had been left without a police commissioner.

    He said that the IYC’s investigations indicated that, no police commissioner had taken over from Don Awunah, almost two weeks after his redeployment from the state to Force Headquarters, Abuja.

    He said before any of the commissioners posted after Awunah could resume duties in Bayelsa, the police headquarters would issue a fresh directive changing the posting.

    “While it is the duty of the Force Headquarters to determine the posting of police officers to formations within and outside the country, we find it troubling that, four commissioners of police have been posted to Bayelsa State in the past two weeks.

    “We in the IYC, the umbrella body of all Ijaw youths across Nigeria are inclined to believe that, this frequent deployment of police commissioners to Bayelsa might be traceable to political desperation and tendency to cause instability in the state.

    “We wish to make it clear that, instability in Bayelsa, the only homogenous Ijaw State in Nigeria, could cause instability across the Niger Delta.

    “It is on this note that, we call on the Force Headquarters and the IGP to exercise restraint and resist the plot by desperate politicians to use police authorities to politicize the security in the state.”

    He warned that the IYC would mobilize against any attempt to cause instability to score cheap political goals in the state.

  • Bayelsa chieftancy tussle brews violence

    Community cries out to Dickson 

     

    The Okoroma community in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State has cried out to Governor Seriake Dickson following a chieftancy tussle brewing violence in the area.

    Residents from the community, under the auspices of Okoroma Patriotic Movement (OPM) told the governor that if urgent steps were not taken to stop the imbroglio, the community would be plunged into violence.

    In a letter addressed Dickson, the President, OPM, Mr. Nyenye Matthias, said unresolved issues on  the stool of the Obanobhan of Okoroma clan were threatening the peace of the area.

    He said the Okoroma Clan of Chiefs, which is part of the traditional stool of the Okoroma clan in Nembe, was consumed by crisis caused by some disgruntled elements believed to be acting on the instruction from the office of the Deputy Governor of the state.

    Matthias said: “This is evident in a law suit No. HC/7/2013 in the High Court of Bayelsa State in the Nembe Judicial Division Holden at Yenagoa between Chief Davidson Kigimo-Emina , Chief E.D. Opuama-Osomu, Chief M.W. Diete-Spiff, Akkom-Aziba, Chief Joseph Iwobo (for themselves and on behalf of the executive of Okoroma Clan Council of Chiefs) as claimants and Mr.Ebinimi Donka (embattled Acting Clan Head of Okoroma Clan) as a defendant.

    “The claimants’ summons’ claim against the defendant are that the 1st claimant, Chief Davidson Kigimo-Emina is the Chief of Emina Group of Houses in Akakumama in Okoroma Clan.

    Read Also: Bayelsa APC stalwart remanded in prison for alleged rape

    “That the 1st Claimant, Kigimo-Emina is the Chairman of Okoroma Clan Council of Chiefs and the Acting Clan Head of Okoroma Clan.

    “That the purported removal of 1st Claimant as the Chief of Emina Group of Houses in Akakumama in Okoroma Clan is unconstitutional and therefore null and void.

    “That the defendant is not King (Paramount Ruler) of Akakumama, for the Paramount Ruler election has not been conducted.

    “And that there should be a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from parading himself as the King (Paramount Ruler) of Akakumama.”

    Matthias said in the claims against the defendant, the presiding judge of the court, Justice L.M. Boufini, on March 26, 2018, ruled that the 1st claimant (Kigimo-Emina) is the Chief of Emina Group of Houses in Akakumama in Okoroma Clan.

    The judge was said to have ruled that the purported removal of the 1st claimant (Kigimo-Emina) as the Chief of Emina Group of Houses in Akakumama was unconstitutional and therefore null and void.

    The court was also said to have ruled that the defendant (Mr. Ebinimi Donka) is not King/Paramount Ruler of Akakumama in Nembe.

    Matthias noted that from the judgement of the court, it was clear that Kigimo-Emina is the legally-recognised Chairman of Okoroma Clan Council of Chiefs and the Acting Clan Head of Okoroma Clan in Nembe LGA.

    He wondered why the Adumaingo, who is not party to the lawsuit, is rather arrogating powers of the Acting Clan Head to himself.

    He said: “When he (Adamaingo) was confronted, he claimed to be working for loyalists of the office of the Deputy Governor and his actions clearly displayed flagrant disobedience of court order  cited earlier.

    “Your Excellency, it is worthy of note that this matter has been brought to your attention whereby you directed your Special Adviser on Security Matters and the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development to look into the matter and ensure the law take its full course.

    “But rather, Adamaingo went further to inaugurate a committee to screen and nominate a substantive Clan Head (Obanobhan of Okoroma), your recently elevated first-class stool.”

    He said the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs and Community development, Chief Saviour Ibegi, recently called him for a meeting where he asked him to stop parading himself as  the Acting clan head but he allegedly refused.

    “Only recently, report has it that he was funded with N10million to carry out the plan of his masters, whom he claimed are loyalists to ranking government official, whose aim is to strategize means of removing the recognized Ag. Paramount Ruler.

    “Following these events, I call for your urgent intervention into the matter not because we are interested in joining issues with them but that they should realize that the journey to the 2020 governorship election is still far and that Okoroma clan should not be used as a battle ground for political control and superiority”, he said.

     

  • Bayelsa APC stalwart remanded in prison for alleged rape

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bayelsa State, Chief Perekeme Richard Kpodo, was on Friday remanded in prison custody for alleged rape by the the magistrate court sitting in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Kpodo, a vocal critic of the government, was arraigned at the Magistrate Court 10 presided over by E.T. Empire-Ugwa on two counts of unlawful detention and rape of one Teke Blessing.

    According to the charge sheet, Kpodo was alleged to have detained Blessing on June 20th, 2018 at Etegwe area of Yenagoa with an intent to defile her  and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 155 of the Criminal Code.

    On count two, Kpodo, a former Security Adviser in the state, was said to have on the same day he allegedly detained the girl raped her thereby committing an offence punishable under section 285 of the Criminal Code.

    The accused person, who was in the dock, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    His lawyer, Julius Iyekoroghe, who was represented by Funlayeifa Seibokuru, quickly applied for the bail of Kpodo on grounds of sickness and personal recognition.

    Seibokuru told the magistrate that the bail application was predicated on the fact that every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

    He said Kpodo was hypertensive and suffered other sicknesses, appealing to the court to grant him bail.

    Besides, he said the accused person was a known politician and businessman, who owned hotels and properties in the state.

    “If granted bail, he won’t jump bail. We also have sureties that are also ready to take him on bail. The court should consider his ill health and his personality and grant him bail”, he said.

    But the prosecution lawyer, Ayibatonye Jumbo, opposed the bail application, saying that being a politician and influential businessman, granting Kpodo bail could jeopardize the case.

    Read Also: Bayelsa begins documentation of Dickson’s projects, policies

    “There is the likelihood of the accused person interfering with the witnesses of the prosecution. The court should also consider the prevalence of the offence on daily basis. Almost on a daily basis, crimes like rape occur. Some are not reported because of stigma of the victims”, Jumbo said.

    Jumbo further deflated the argument of granting the accused person bail on the grounds of ill health insisting that the lawyer for the accused person failed to tender medical reports to prove his case.

    He said: “The count one is misdemeanor, which is not a serious offence. But the second count is felony and a serious offence, which if he is convicted, he will be jailed for life. Based on this, we appeal to the court to reject the bail application”.

    But his lawyer Iyekoroghe, who said the arrest of Kpodo and his arraignment were politically motivated, describing the rape allegation as a trump-up charge.

    He said the politician was being persecuted for criticizing the government adding that the development was aimed at shutting him up.

    “This is a democracy and the act of the police against some critical views by a politician is unacceptable and a violation of his right as a Nigerian. As at last night, he was still being detained without taking statement as the police are still desperately searching for case file” he said.

  • Dickson succeeded where his predecessors failed – SAN

    A Senior of Advocate of N‎igeria (SAN), Mr. Biriyai Dambo, on Friday, said the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, succeeded greatly in areas his predecessors failed.

    Dambo commended Dickson for the political maturity existing in the state contrary to the political crises that characterized the administrations of former governors in the state.

    Speaking in Yenagoa, he said with few weeks to commencement of political activities, beginning with party primaries, Bayelsa was experiencing relative peace and civility, which clearly revealed the kind of leadership in the state.

    He said in the past, the state would have erupted in violence culminating in mindless attacks of political opponents and other upheavals.

    But he said with Dickson in the saddle, such upheavals belonged permanently to the dustbin of the past.

    Dambo fracas that used to occur between the executive and other arms of government in the state had become a thing of the past, adding that Dickson with an unusual masterstroke brought about mutual existence among them.

    He said: “During Alamieyeseigha’s administration, there was a fracas between the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary.‎ But for six years now that the restoration government has been on the saddle, there is an unprecedented cordial relationship among the three arms of the state government, which is a huge plus for him” Dambo said.

    ‎”The Bayelsa judiciary bill was passed into law on October 14, 2012 and its  basic reason was to establish ‘fiscal Independence of the judiciary’.

    “The Restoration Government wanted to show that it believes in the Financial Autonomy of the judiciary. It means the chief judge wouldn’t have to go to the executive to source fund and that was a welcome development. What governor Dickson did was something very fundamental and commendable”.

    Read Also: Killings greatest threat to our existence, says Dickson

    ‎He told the people of the state that Dickson is a man that came to get Bayelsa out of its deteriorating state.

    He noted that though things might seem difficult at the present because of how past administration squandered money meant for development, Bayelsa is on the right path.

    He said previous administrations did not focus on infrastructural development but Dickson came and build legacy projects despite Bayelsa being purely a civil service state with very little internally generated revenue and the absence of industries.

    Dambo‎ who described Dickson as a visionary leader for building the Bayelsa International Airport because of its socio-economic benefit, added that the airport would further open the state.

    He said: “By the time the Nembe-Brass road is completed, we will put a deep sea port there and with the airport, ships can come in from there meaning business will flourish and Bayelasa will become an industrial hub”.

    On the ongoing civil service reforms in the state, the lawyer expressed optimism that the jobs to be created after the reforms would stop militancy and youth restiveness.

    He praised the Bayelsa Governor ‎for championing the call for restructuring of the country, saying a restructured Nigeria would bring about true federalism.

  • Double accidents kill two corps members in Bayelsa

    …Two others in critical condition

     

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Bayelsa State, has been thrown into mourning following the death of two of its serving members in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The corps members numbering four were reportedly involved in double accidents while returning from the state office of NYSC in Yenagoa on Monday.

    The victims identified as Adejina Victor, Omofopa Godwin, Obieze Chukwuemeka and Alaromi Olumide left Koluama 2, the place of their primary assignments in Southern Ijaw for Yenagoa to undertake their clearance at the NYSC office.

    It was gathered that after concluding their clearance, the corps members boarded a commercial tricycle, popularly known as Keke, to a waterside where they would board a boat to Koluama.

    Read Also:Train tanker drivers to avoid accidents, FRSC charges NUPENG/PTD

    But a tipper, whose driver was said to have lost its control, hit the tricycle conveying the corps members on the Swali Bridge.

    Sympathizers, who rushed to scene, were said to have transferred the critically injured corps members to another tricycle, which hurried them to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yenagoa for treatment.

    It was gathered that the tricycle, which was racing to the hospital to save the lives of the corps members, was involved in another accident.

    Two of the corps members were said to have died on the spot at the scene of the second accident while two others were in life-threatening conditions.

    Among the two dead victims, who hailed from Benue and Ondo, one of them was supposed to complete his service on July 5th.

    A tricycle driver, Bayaninu Ali, who was injured in the second accident said: “I was driving my Keke when another Keke that was rushing the injured people to the hospital hit me. My fellow driver was in a hurry. He didn’t look and that was why the accident occurred”.

    Narrating the incident, the Vicar of St. John Anglican Church, Koluama 2, Rev. Emmanuel Chikwendu, described the incident as unfortunate.

    He said: “We came together to Koluama. This morning we arrived at Yenagoa at about 10am. They went for their clearance. They finished it and were on their way back when a tipper hit them on Swali Bridge”.

    Speaking on the incident, the state Coordinator, NYSC, Loto Omolayo, said the corps was saddened by the tragedy.

    Omolayo in a statement said: “Four corps Members serving in Bayelsa were involved in an accident at Swali Bridge in Yenagoa and were immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Centre

    “The Tricycle they boarded was hit by a tipper and unfortunately, two of the Corps Members died as a result of injuries sustained during the accident, while two are being treated by a team of competent consultants at the FMC.

    “The NYSC Family is saddened by this sudden loss. We have also informed and commiserated with the families on this unfortunate incident. We pray for the repose of the souls of the dead and quick recovery of the injured corps Members”.

  • No endorsement for any presidential aspirant – Bayelsa PDP

    The Bayelsa State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday said it had no preferred presidential aspirant for the 2019 general election.

    The party said all PDP aspirants were free to visit the state to seek support from the members and leadership of the party.

    The party made its position known following the Tuesday’s visit of former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, to consult the state Governor, Seriake Dickson over his presidential ambition.

    The state Chairman of the Party, Chief Moses Cleopas, said in a statement that the position of the party on presidential aspirants was endorsed by Dickson.

    He said is that the party would receive all aspirants and accord each of them the respect, hospitality and the courtesy they deserved.

    He stressed that while it was the position of the party to receive and hold consultative talks with all aspirants, the party in the state would not endorse any particular candidate before the convention.

    Read Also: Gunmen kill three soldiers in Bayelsa

    Cleopas explained that after receiving all the aspirants the party stakeholders would collectively take a decision on endorsement at the PDP convention.

    He said: “The Bayelsa State chapter of the PDP will receive all presidential aspirants under the platform of the party. The party in Bayelsa will ensure that all presidential aspirants are treated fairly with the respect and courtesy they deserve.

    “However, it is the position of the state chapter of the party that there would be no endorsement of any particular candidate before the convention.

    “The position of the state would be decided collectively and expressed at the convention ground.”

    Cleopas said that it was encouraging that people of integrity with the requisite political clout were aspiring to run for the Presidency in the 2019 election on the platform of the PDP.

    He said that the PDP had the strength to wrest political power from the APC in 2019, with its vast spread and visible presence in all the 774 local government areas and every ward in the country.

    The party chairman who stressed that Bayelsa is a PDP State thanked the leaders and members of the party for turning out en mass to receive one of the Presidential Aspirants,  Atiku Abubakar at a very shot notice and encouraged them to do same for other aspirants.

  • Police arrest gunrunner, recover arms in Bayelsa

    The Bayelsa State Police Command has nabbed a suspected notorious gunrunner, Markus Akassa, and his accomplice, Ekioyoufegha Agge, at a hotel in Akenfa, Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.

    The command also  recovered one AK 47 rifle and two Barreta pistols from the suspects.

    The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Asinim Butswat, said in a statement on Tuesday said the suspects were rounded up by  the Anti-Cultism Unit and the State Intelligence Bureau.

    Butswat, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the detectives lured the 45-year-old suspect, who hails from Ekeremor under the guise of purchasing arms from him.

    He said that the suspected gunrunner was arrested with Agge, 34, from Oboro town in Delta State, who usually introduced him to buyers.

    The police spokesman said:  “They were arrested on  June 16, 2018, at about 14:00 hours, at a hotel at Akenfa 3, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    “The arms that were recovered from them are one AK47 riffle and two China made Barreta pistols.

    Read Also: Gunmen kill three soldiers in Bayelsa

    “The prime suspect confessed that he usually travelled to the Republic of Cameroon to buy arms and ammunition in a community called Okwa, a border town with Bakassi Peninsula.

    “He confessed he usually sells an AK 47 riffle for N550,000 and Berratta pistol for N250,000 in Nigeria.”

    Butswat said investigation was ongoing to recover some of the arms he earlier sold and arrest the buyers.

    He said the arrest was in furtherance of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, directives of mopping-up arms and ammunition from unauthorised persons.”The command appeals to members of the public to avail the police with useful information that may lead to recovery of arms from unauthoriased persons,” he said.