The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bayelsa State

  • Igbo traders in Bayelsa shut down shops over attacks 

    Igbo traders in Bayelsa shut down shops over attacks 

    Shops and other business premises belonging to Igbo traders at Biogbolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, have remained shut following attacks on traders by aggrieved youths from the area.

    Investigations, Thursday, revealed that all the shops at Customs Road and Green Villa extending to the Yenagoa-Mbiama Road could not open for business out of fears that the youths were regrouping for fresh attacks.

    The attackers have been protesting an alleged ritual killing of 17-year-old Faith Omosovu Pius by a 31-year-old non-indigene identified as Tochukwu at the New Wapo Hotel located in the area.

    Many traders have fallen victims of the attacks with their shops and business premises shattered and burnt by the youths.

    The police and the army have been patrolling the affected areas to stop further damage and restore the peace in the area.

    Government authorities and security agents were said to have held meetings with traditional rulers and community leaders to douse tension and prevent the situation from snowballing into full-blown inter-tribal war.

    The authorities were said to be prevailing on the angry indigenes to stop spreading hate speeches against non-indigenes especially Igbo traders because of the misdeeds an individual.

    The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, while condemning the killing, appealed to the indigenes to stop attacking innocent people.

    The Acting Chairman, IYC Central Zone, Mr. Amiebi Turner, said instead of assaulting innocent non-indigenes, the aggrieved persons should channel their energy towards finding and bringing the culprit to book.

    Turner said: “The IYC central zone wishes to condemn in totality the murder of a promising Ijaw daughter, while we also advise our youths to remain calm, peaceful and avoid acts that may disrupt the existing peace in the state.

    “We understand the pains, we feel the rage, but we advise against taking laws into your hands. As we push for moves aimed at apprehending the culprit and to restore order.

    “Since the incident, we have engaged security agencies to intensify hunt of the suspected murderer of our beloveth daughter, which they have promised to do, on our path, we owe the duty to provide useful informations.

    “The entire Ijaw youths in Central zone wishes to commiserate with the bereaved family and the entire Biogbolo – Epie community in the state capital, on this sad and painful loss, we pray God to give you all the fortitude to bear this great loss.

    “We also use this opportunity to advise security agencies to stop the chase and assault on youths of Biogbolo community, so as not to aggravate the situation but to rather employ diplomatic measures that will be void of martial law.

    “We condemn this dastardly and criminal act in very strong terms, but we must allow security agencies do their work to unravel the mystery behind this unjust killing. We also advise residents in the area to remain peace abiding and not see it as an ethnic or tribal issue, for crime is crime”.

    Turner commended the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Yenagoa, Mr. Oboku Oforji, for his timely intervention and advised traders and residents to go about their normal activities.

    Oboku also called on the people of Biogbolo-Epie community to be peaceful and law abiding insisting that efforts were ongoing to resolve the killing.

    Oboku, who spoke in after a meeting involving him, the police and the community chiefs at Biogbolo Town Hall, described the incident as “regrettable”.

    He said that a committee was set up to handle the matter with a view to bringing justice to the grieving family and the community.

    “We are working very hard, and we are gathering  more information. What we want to do is to see that justice is done by apprehending the culprit.

    “The committee has swung into action, and has started getting results only for violence to break out again today”, he said.

    But the council boss appealed to the Igbo traders in the community to stay away in the meantime, adding that “it will not be long we will ask them to  return and start their normal businesses.”

    “They (the Igbo traders) are aware that somebody died and it’s painful, and that is the reason why the shops should temporarily close down, and hopefully we will call them to return to their shops”, he said.

     

  • Three arrested over attack on APC chieftain in Edo

    Three arrested over attack on APC chieftain in Edo

    Three suspected thugs have been arrested over Monday’s attack on a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress and a former governorship aspirant in Edo State, Chief Blessing Agbomhere.

    Agbomhere was beaten and bloodied in the mouth by over 30 thugs at the Benin Airport shortly after he arrived from Abuja.

    Also attacked was a former governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Movement in Bayelsa State, Moses Siasia, who accompanied Agbomhere to Benin City.

    Agbomhere said the thugs kept saying he was disrespecting their boss, a chieftain of the APC.

    He said it was security details attached to the Commissioner of Police in Delta State, Zanna Ibrahim, that rescued him from the thugs.

    The thugs were suspected to be loyalists of Edo State Deputy Governor, Hon Philip Shaibu, who came on the same flight with the duo.

    Speaking to newsmen at the Police Command headquarters in Benin City, Agbomhere alleged that he met the deputy governor at the Abuja Airport but avoided him.

    He said, “I have been known to be courageous and fearless. When we came into Benin, I was immediately attacked by some criminals who were shouting kill him before the police came to rescue us. And they used all sort of weapons on me.

    “I came to Benin because I am on an assignment on the development of the Niger-Delta and I am seeing this. I will not be deterred. I will continue in my effort to promote my state Edo and to ensure that I still hold public officers accountable to be people.

    “If not for the timely intervention of my friend, I don’t know what some of them were planning to do. I came in with my friend who was a governorship candidate in Bayelsa state, we were together and immediately we stepped in we were attacked”.

    Agbomhere further stated that the police have arrested some persons who have confessed that they were sent to assassinate him.

    On his part, Moses Siasia described the attack as unfortunate for democracy and the leadership of Edo state.

    According to him, “I don’t know what political differences he has with Blessing who was former aspirant, look at me from Bayelsa state, beaten this way. These are one of the things that cause tribal clashes.

    “We have made our reports to the police, they have given us medical clearance and we are going to check ourselves. It is unfortunate for democracy and for leadership in Edo state”.

    Edo police spokesman, DSP Moses Nkombe, said the police was still investigating the incident.

    Reacting to the alleged assault, the Chief Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Mr Musa Ebhomiana, described Agbomhere’s claim as cheap blackmail stating that Hon Shaibu will not stoop so low attack a brother and a member of the same party with him who hailed from the same senatorial district.

    He stated that even though the Deputy Governor incidentally boarded the same plane with Agbomhere, it could not have been possible for the two of them to depart the airport at the same time.

    Musa explained that his boss could not have make calls from Abuja or inside the plane to the alleged thugs to attach him.

    “He, (Agbomhere) should look elsewhere for those who attack him at the Benin airport,” he said.

     

  • Ritual killing of girl in Bayelsa hotel sparks violence

    Ritual killing of girl in Bayelsa hotel sparks violence

    Youths from Biogbolo Epie, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, went berserk Monday following gruesome murder of a young girl identified as Faith in De New Wapo Hotel located in their area.

    It was gathered that tension caused by the activities of the group of aggrieved indigenes forced traders to close their business premises on the affected street and other adjoining streets of Ebis and Green Villa.

    The angry protesters, who were reportedly carrying weapons, chased suspected non-indigenes and vowed to avenge the killing of their kinswoman.

    It was, however, learnt that a detachment of the policemen was sent to the area by the Commissioner of Police, Asuquo Amba to maintain the peace.

    It was gathered that the suspect identified as a former tenant to the victim’s father, lured the girl into his hotel room on Friday.

    There were, however, different versions of what transpired in the hotel room where the suspect inflicted injuries on the victim.

    One of the narrative said on getting to the room, the deceased girl resisted all the attempts by the fleeing man to have sex with her.

    Provoked by the girl’s behaviour, the suspect reportedly went violent, stabbed the victim three times on her chest and fled.

    But another account said the suspect died Monday, two days after she was attacked by the suspect.

    According to the version, the suspect drugged his victim and cut off her breasts in a desperate attempt to use her for ritual.

    It was, however, learnt that a police van took the victim to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), where she died on Monday morning.

    “The victim lived around the area. Her killing sparked protest by indigenes who carried various weapons. They attacked one guy and chased a lot of people on sight. The whole Green Villa street was closed down”, a source who spoke in confidence said.

    Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Asuquo Amba, warned people against taking laws into their own hands.

    He said the police had interrogated eyewitnesses adding that efforts were being made to arrest the fleeing suspect.

    He further confirmed that the victim died Monday explaining that the incident was initially handled by the police as assault occasioned by harm.

    He said: “Initially it was treated purely as a case of assault occasioned by harm but now that the girl has died we are now treating a case of murder against one suspect.

    “Though the suspect name sounds as if it is from one area, people should not take laws into their own hands because we don’t know who he is.

    “We have definite picture of the suspect, eyewitness’s account in the hotel that have given us a strong clue.

    “We are in the process of ensuring that the suspect is arrested because after committing the crime he ran away. I know some people are associating to ritual purposes but we cannot conclude”.

     

  • Dickson in US defends FG’s plans on modular refineries 

    Dickson in US defends FG’s plans on modular refineries 

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, at the ongoing Oil and Gas Trade Conference (OTC) in USA, defended the decision of the Federal Government to establish modular refineries.

    The governor in the event holding at Houston, Texas, commended President Muhammandu Buhari-led administration for the initiative describing it as a brilliant idea that would create more jobs and increase the economic fortunes of Nigeria.

    He said the refineries when completed would also curb the illegal refining of petroleum products and the problems associated with it.

    A statement by Dickson’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the governor spoke on the sidelines of the conference.

    The statement said Senator Foster Ogola, House of Representative members Fred Agbedi and Henry Ofongu; Secretary to the State Government, Serena Dokubo-Spiff, Commissioner for Investment, Trade, Commerce and Industries, Mr. Kemela Okara, Chief Economic Adviser, Duate Iyabe, Special Adviser on Investment, Cyril Akika were among other top aides of the governor, who accompanied him.

    Already Dickson said his government fully embraced the initiative by setting up a firm, Bayelsa Petrochemical and Refinery Company Limited, to partner with willing investors in the modular refineries.

    The governor reportedly told his audience in the global oil industry that as a home of of oil and gas in Nigeria, Bayelsa provides strategic investment opportunities and a conducive and secured environment to drive investment in that sector.

    He said that the participation of his state in the OTC was strategic adding that it would afford Bayelsa the opportunity to meet and leverage on prospective investors in various opportunities offered by his government.

    Dickson boasted that Bayelsa has in abundance gas feedstock to power the modular refineries.

    “It is interesting to note that we already have more than enough gas in abundance to deliver the three modular refineries so we are good to go”, he said.

    The governor assured prospective investors that all investments would be fully secured and allayed fears expressed on threats to destruction of pipelines.

    He said: “To a large extent, as a state government given our strategic and massive investment in security ‎over the last five years, we make bold to say that our state is one of the safest in the Niger Delta and Nigeria. So would-be investors have nothing to worry about”.

    ‎Dickson said that the Kolo Creek Gas plant which is the first independent power plant in the country has been running for in the state for years.

    He listed the opportunities available in the state to drive investments in modular refineries, power plants and allied petrochemical industries.

    The statement also said that Dickson was a guest at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) strategic stakeholders’ event as part of the OTC roundtable side meetings, where the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe kachukwu, was said to be present.

    At the forum, the governor called on major players in the industry to partner with the state on a number of opportunities in driving investment in key sectors of the state.

    He lauded the recent federal government policy directing oil companies to relocate their headquarters to the oil producing states.

    He said that Bayelsa already provided the enabling environment to make the relocation of the oil companies easy and seamless through the 3.5km runway international airport presently under construction in the state.

    “The airport will enable the oil companies executives to be able to fly in and out of the state without the stress of travel time from Port Harcourt to Yenagoa and the completion of the new heliport will serve the purpose of helicopter shuttles.

    “In addition to that, the ambitious infrastructural projects provided by the present government to facilitate businesses in the state has made Bayelsa to be fully ready and open for business,” he said.

     

  • Bayelsa teachers threaten strike over unpaid salaries 

    Bayelsa teachers threaten strike over unpaid salaries 

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Saturday, threatened to commence a three-day warning strike from May 2nd over unpaid nine and half month salaries.

    The NUT in a communique signed by its Chairman, Kala-Ama Tonpre and Secretary, Johnson Hector, said it took the decision after its Executive Council meeting.

    The union said it also resolved that the state government should urgently pay the monthly full salaries it owed primary school teachers to bring them at par with other civil servants in the state.

    NUT also called on the government to take over the funding and management of primary education without attaching conditions to it.

    The union further asked the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the Post Primary Schools Board to implement the 2013 and 2015 promotions and to conduct the 2016 exercise without delay.

    It appealed to the government to involve other banks in the payment of secondary school teachers’ salaries instead of allowing only the Sterling bank to conduct the transactions.

    The union also urged the government to take care of the cost of bank transaction to reduce excess deductions on its members’ accounts.

    NUT implored the government to fill vacancies created by retired and deceased teachers by employing qualified personnel adding that government should begin the payment of N18,000 minimum wage arrears to teachers.

     

  • Gunmen kidnap eight sailors in Bayelsa 

    Gunmen kidnap eight sailors in Bayelsa 

    Troops from the Nigerian Navy are making frantic efforts to locate the whereabouts of eight sailors kidnapped in the Atlantic Ocean, close to Brass waters in Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

    It was gathered that the victims identified as employees of Tethys Nig. Ltd and Sylver Global Ltd were abducted on April 19, about 17 Nautical Miles off Brass terminal.

    The unidentified gunmen were said to have forcefully boarded the vessel after firing gunshots in the air to instill fear in the sailors.

    The victims were identified as Smart Kungborde, Isaiah Ebiewe, Christopher Wisben, Gabriel Enayon, Sylvester Ovwigho, Mathew Enegbuma and Kelly Shaka.

    The abductors were said to have stolen all their victims’ valuables, hounded them into their speedboats and drove them to an unknown place.

    It was, however, gathered that troops of the Forward Operation Base (FOB) Fomoso at Egweama in Brass were making some efforts to free the captors.

    Navy authorities in the state kept mute on the matter following an indication that the affected vessel belonged to a powerful politician and retired senior naval officer from the state.

    But the politician with the companies was said to have established contacts with the gunmen and had gone far in negotiation for a ransom to free the abductors.

    A senior security source, who spoke in confidence, confirmed the development and said the victims were still held by the kidnappers.

     

  • Bayelsa monarch sets up committee to probe violence in community 

    The Amayanabo of Nembe Kingdom, Bayelsa State, His Eminence, King Edmund Daokoru, has established a seven-member committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing of a youth, destruction of houses and other valuables in the kingdom.

    Violence erupted in the community on April 19, shortly after the king presided over an event to replace dead chiefs and recognise newly-installed traditional rulers of satellite towns.

    Daokoru, who inspected the massive destruction at the kingdom, held an emergency meeting with his council of chiefs and resolved to establish a committee to probe the development with a view to restoring peace in the community.

    The committee, which was inaugurated Saturday at the Nembe House, Opolo, Yenagoa, had Chief Inatimi Iriakuma-Yemainain as Chairman and Chief Solomon Olali-Igabo as Secretary.

    Other members of the committee are Chief Theophilus Obiene-Ilegimokuma, Deputy Chief I.J. Graham Maduabebe, Elder Bio Dienagha, Lady Ayebaene Yusuf and Otonteye Jim-Dorgu.

    The committee was asked to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the disturbances; identify the parties involved, the victims and the ownership for the properties destroyed.

    The committee was further asked to make necessary recommendations to forestall future occurrences and restore peace and harmony among the youths.

    The king charged the committee, which was given 14 days to submit its report, to be objective and fair in its approach to the assignment.

    King Daokoru warned the committee members against presumptuousness adding that the inauguration initially scheduled to hold at the Nembe City Hall was shifted to the Nembe House in Yenagoa for want of time.

    He commended security agencies for timely intervening to restore peace in the community and asked the committee to consult them to succeed in its assignment.

    Performing the formal inauguration of the committee, the Alternate Chairman of the Nembe Chief Council, Navy Capt. Walter Feghabo (retd) promised to provide required logistics to help the committee succeed in its task.

    Also speaking, the chairman of the committee promised to be fair to al, persons and interested parties to come forward with their suggestions without fear.

     

  • Dickson, Bayelsa mourn, death of first military leader

    The people of Bayelsa State and their Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, have been thrown into mourning following the death of the state’s first Military Administrator, Navy Capt. Philip Ayeni.

    Dickson in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, condoled with the immediate family, the Government and people of Ekiti State over Ayeni’s death.

    The late Ayeni, who was the pioneer Military Administrator when Bayelsa was created by the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha in October, 1996, reportedly died last Thursday, after a protracted illness.

    Dickson described Ayeni’s death as untimely, painful and devastating, saying it happened at a time, the state was beginning to reap the benefits of the policies he initiated as the administrator.

    He said though, the tenure of Ayeni was cut short by his health challenges, he meant well for the state and had genuine intentions to put the Bayelsa on a sound, progressive and worthy pedestal.

    Dickson said successive administrations had continued to build on the plans, policies and programmes of Ayeni to give Bayelsa its pride of place.

    He recalled that, in appreciation of his pacesetting roles and sacrifices, the state government recently built, furnished and presented a befitting residential apartment to Ayeni at his country home in Ekiti.

    He said: “To us in Bayelsa State, Retired Navy Captain Philip Ayeni remains one of our heroes, because it takes a lot of courage, sacrifice, commitment and genuine love for a people, to be able do the little, he did at the time.

    “And from the available facts and records, he would have done a lot more, but for the health challenges that abruptly ended his tenure and clearly his good intentions too for our state.

    “So, for a such a leader and personality, my government and indeed, the people of Bayelsa State will stand shoulder to shoulder with his family and the government and the people of Ekiti State”

    He pointed out that, the beautiful and wonderful story of Bayelsa State would never be complete, without the pioneering legacies and efforts of Ayeni, adding that, the Government and people of the state would remain ever grateful to him.

    Dickson assured the government and people of Ekiti of the continued support of Bayelsans and prayed for God’s grace to guide, protect and  strengthen the deceased family.

     

  • Labour, Dickson disagree on education tax

    Labour, Dickson disagree on education tax

    The Bayelsa State chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), on Monday, disagreed with Governor Seriake Dickson, on the introduction of compulsory education levy in the state.

    Dickson signed the Bayelsa Education Development Trust Fund Law 2017 compelling civil servants, goverment officials, contractors and taxable citizens to pay monthly education levy.

    The governor explained the reasons behind the tax insisting it was part of the measures to protect the future of education in the state.

    Dickson, who said he was the highest contributor to the funds insisted that anybody opposed to the tax would be considered as an enemy of the state.

    According to him, the fund would guarantee the sustainability of huge investments of the government in the educational sector.

    Dickson said: ”From now on, funds will be pumped into the EDTF account to support the free feeding, free uniforms and other items of the students. And it will take little contributions from every Bayelsan; some will pay as little as N400, N500 per month. There are others that will have to pay N1,000 or more depending on their business”.

    But the NLC chairman, Mr. John Ndiomu, said that while the workers were in support of the education development of the state, they believed that the government had the capacity to finance it without resorting to imposing further taxes on them.

    Ndiomu appealed to the government to review the levy because workers were still grappling with how to survive the current recession.

    On his part, the TUC chairman in the state, Mr. Tari Dounana, described the levy as “an antipeople’s policy” by the executive and the legislature without any inputs from the stakeholders.

    Dounana said: “It is unfortunate that such a law that requires civil servants to make contributions about their salaries was passed and assented to without a public hearing for the stakeholders to make their views known

    “We have already agreed to support the proposed Health Insurance Policy into which workers will also make contributions. This is one deduction too many. We are opposed to it.”

    But the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, said that the levy had noble intentions insisting that the state needed it to move its education forward.

    He said: ”We have built infrastructure and built boarding schools for which 16 of them will commence soon. We need to put up a system that can sustain them. The Government will be doing the job of providing infrastructure, but the essence of this is that we must run a boarding school and if we are to provide boarding facilities as we have done and we want to run them, we must put up a system that must sustain it outside of the direct government’s funding.

    ”And that is why the government has said that five per cent of its internally generated revenue will be channelled into the  EDTF and that everybody in government – political appointees and elected political officials including the civil servants and all citizens of the state will pay something into that fund which will be used primarily for students’ feeding and immediate needs in the boarding schools we have established in the eight local government areas for which the Ijaw National Academy is one.

    ”So, what we are doing is to sustain our educational system and also move Bayelsa out of the educationally disadvantaged state  to a state that will compete favourably with other states in the comity of states as a state that is educationally advantaged.”

  • Group to Dickson: Appoint Moses Siasia into trust fund board 

    Group to Dickson: Appoint Moses Siasia into trust fund board 

    The Patriotic Citizens of Nigeria (PACON), Monday, urged the Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, to appoint a former governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), Moses Siasia, into the Education Development Trust Fund Board (EDTFD).

    The establishment of the EDTFD in the state following the signing of the Bayelsa Education Development Trust Fund Bill into law by Dickson has been generating various reactions in the state.

    PACON in a statement signed by Mr. Aluzu Augustine and Mr. Debekeme Powedei, said appointing Siasia, who contested against Dickson in the last election, would ensure better implementation of the law.

    According to the group, the idea of establishing education trust fund featured prominently in the manifestoes of Siasia.

    PACON said: “It has become imperative for the Bayelsa State governor to appoint Mr. Moses Siasia who was also a contender for the office of the Governor in 2015 into the Board.

    “It is the only way for the government to fully realize the purpose of the law without causing undue hardship to her citizens”.

    The group said Siasia on many occasions during his campaigns for the governorship office expounded his ideas of creating such trust fund.

    PACON claimed that it was never the intention of Siasia to task civil servants to fund the board adding that the former governorship candidate wanted to raise funds through a partnership between government and private sector.

    The group also applauded Dickson for the Bayelsa Higher Education Loan Law saying it would go a long way to ameliorate the plights of students in the state.