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Tag: Bayelsa

  • Court invasion: IG directs CP to fish out perpetrators

    Court invasion: IG directs CP to fish out perpetrators

    The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, has directed the Bayelsa Commissioner of Police to fish out those who invaded a Federal High Court in Yenagoa on Monday.

    The directive is contained in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

    The statement stated that the perpetrators of the dastardly act which disrupted proceedings at the court must be brought to justice.

    The statement said that two female lawyers were assaulted during the invasion.

    It restated the commitment of the police to provide safe and secure environment for the dispensation of justice.

  • High Court Attack: Dickson, Lokpobiri trade words

    High Court Attack: Dickson, Lokpobiri trade words

    There was pandemonium on Capt. Amangala Street, Yenagoa Bayelsa state, on Monday following an invasion of the state’s division of the Federal High Court in the area by thugs.

    The thugs numbering over 100 were said to have stormed the court premises at about 10am chanting war songs.

    It was gathered that the judge was already seated when the thugs armed with different weapons attacked the court.

    They were said to have visited their wrath on the judge and lawyers including two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), Mr. Selekeowei Larry and Lucius Nwosu, who came for their various matters.

    The miscreants threw caution to the wind as they broke the doors, shattered the chairs and scattered legal documents.

    They were said to have shot sporadically during the attack.

    The judge was said to have dodged various weapons thrown at him by the thugs while he and the lawyers scampered for safety.

    Officials of the court took to hiding. The commotion lasted for about 30 minutes.

    The court which is located opposite the state office of the Department of the State Security (DSS) is also close to the state command of the Nigeria Police.

    A pregnant lawyer was caught up in the melee. The panic-stricken lawyer nursed her pains as she complained that her pregnancy was hit by the marauding thugs.

    The lawyers were said to have packed themselves like sardines in the office of the judge where they took refuge until the situation was brought under control.

    It was, however, gathered that the police watched helplessly as the hoodlums had a field day.

    The miscreants were said to have acted to stop the hearing and possible judgment on a suit filed by the incumbent Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri, against the candidature of Mr. Foster Ogola.

    Senator Lokpobiri is asking the court to disqualify Ogola and declare him the authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the senatorial district.

    While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had accepted Ogola as the winner of the senatorial primaries of the PDP in the district, Lokpobiri had continued to lay claims to the party’s ticket.

    Larry who led the team of Lokpobiri’s lawyers, accused the Governor of the state, Mr. Seriake Dickson, of leading, sponsoring and directing thugs to desecrate the temple of justice.

    But Dickson in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, denied the allegation, but accused Lokpobiri of trying to secure the PDP ticket with misleading information and outright forgery of party documents.

    Larry, however, said on March 27 when the matter came up for hearing, hundreds of thugs barricade the court and prevented it from sitting.

    He said the matter was adjourned to Monday and was communicated to all the interested parties.

    He expressed shock at the mistreatment of judicial officials by the thugs and alleged that Dickson was shouting around the court premises that he would not allow the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan impose a candidate on the party.

    “While we were sitting in the court, I heard that the gate to the court which I had passed had been locked. We started hearing the voice of the governor who was there with his security details.

    “After sometimes, some senior police officers came but they didn’t ask the thugs to leave. The thugs invaded the court and started chasing all of us out of the court. It was the governor who supervised the sacking of the court.

    “Over ten lawyers including a pregnant woman and two SANs were chased and kicked by the thugs. The state Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) was there and he has already sent a report to the national NBA,” he said.

    But Dickson said what happened in the court was a clash between the supporters of Lokpobiri and Ogola.

    He said his intervention prevented the development from turning bloody adding that  his government would deal decisively with anybody or group of persons, no matter how highly placed, that takes the law into their hands.

    He said: “Reports have it that, supporters of Evangelist Foster Ogola were irked, when the Judge, who had earlier been petitioned over his lopsided handling of the matter, went ahead to fix hearing and judgement for Monday, without proper notification to both parties, even as the matter has been moved away from his court”.

    Dickson said he visited the scene of the clash in the company of some heads of security agencies.

    He condemned the action of Senator Lokpobiri accusing him of trying to manipulate the judicial process for judgement to be passed in his favour, without the knowledge of the other party in the matter.

    He advised the judiciary not to allow itself to be used by desperate politicians to perpetrate injustice, capable of causing a breach of the peace, as was experienced today between the rival supporters.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Asinim Buswatt, confirmed the invasion but said no arrest was made.

    “Before we could get there, they took to their heels,” he said.

  • Jonathan wins in Bayelsa

    Jonathan wins in Bayelsa

    President Goodluck Jonathan and candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Saturday Presidential election has won majority votes in  Bayelsa, his state.

    However, the difference between registered and accredited voters in the state showed that 200,000 persons failed to participate in the electoral process.

    The results declared by the state’s Collation Officer and Vice-Chancellor, University of Port – Harcourt, Rivers State, Prof.  Joseph Ajienka, showed that Jonathan won in the eight local government areas of the state.

    A breakdown of the Presidential results so far released showed that in Kolokuma/Opokuma, PDP scored 20,633 while APC got 402.

    In Nembe, PDP, 60,950, APC, 557; Ekeremor, PDP 61,012, APC 374; Yenagoa, PDP 45,439, APC 462.

    Also, Jonathan polled 50,754 in Ogbia, his local government area while Buhari was said to have scored only 214 votes.

    Statistics revealed that many registered voters in some local government areas did not participate in the elections.

    For instance out of the 133,442 registered voters in Yenagoa Local Government Area, only 51,577 showed up for accreditation.

    The situations were the same in Kolokuma-Opokuma, Nembe, Ekeremor and Ogbia where 13,785, 29,238, 14,451 and 13,389 persons respectively refused to participate in the exercise.

    Results of three remaining local government areas were still being expected.

    The results were announced after so much delay attributed to the terrains of the state by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Baritor Kpagih.

  • Maritime workers vow to picket oil firm in Bayelsa

    Maritime workers in Bayelsa State on Monday said that nothing would stop them from disrupting the activities of Conoil Producing Nigeria Limited in the state on Wednesday.

    The workers said the planned industrial action would stop all the oil drilling activities of the company in Ango Field in Koluama Clan, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

    The workers under the aegis of Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) said they took the decision as the last resort after exhausting other methods of resolving industrial disputes.

    The state Chairman of the MWUN, Mr. Lloyd Sese, said the union had written many letters to the company to no avail.

    “As a law abiding union we had severally written to the company requesting for a meeting with its management concerning its operations in Ango Field located at Koluama which by virtue of its Martime Environment falls within the coverage of the union to no avail.

    “The nonchalant attitude of the management made the union to give the company 21 days ultimatum to meet with the union or face the risk of being picketed by the union. The 21 days ultimatum given by the union has since expired hence this press release.

    “We wish to announce here that the union shall mobilise its members and every resource at its disposal and proceed to Ango Field location at Koluama on Wednesday,” he said.

  • Bayelsa and politics of self-destruction

    On March 6, the Supreme Court put paid to the ambition of Timepre Silva to upturn the election which saw  Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson succeed him as governor in 2012. Syvla had sought to set aside an earlier judgement by the same apex court on  his  quest to be recognised as the candidate of the PDP vide the primary election of 2012. This long-winding case will continue to generate interest because of the associated issues in the legal realm and indeed its reflection on the local politics of the state.

    Even as the case has come to an end, several issues continue  to elicit reactions.  One is the penchant by some members of the political class to engage in endless litigation even when their cause or their case is hopeless thereby tying up valuable time and resources. It is as if they seek to rig through the courts what the democratic processes have declined to award them. Why indeed is this unrelenting  disposition of throwing huge amounts of money at wasteful litigation? Or is it the popular pull him down (PhD) syndrome to which Bayelsa State has not proved immune? Or shall we now see it as part of our political DNA playing up frivolity over substance?

    These questions  bear correlation to politics in Bayelsa State where the incumbent governor is assailed by the activities of those dark forces opposed to the government’s singular focus on socio-economic development of the state. For those unfamiliar with the Bayelsa story of great restoration, the last three years have been quite remarkable in terms of solid achievements particularly in education, health, infrastructure, economic diversification, manpower development and a sundry  other empowerment programmes touching on the welfare of the people.

    Essentially, there is a consensus among Bayelsans and outsiders alike that Governor Dickson has so far recorded a scintillating performance  unequalled in the annals of the state. Ironically, there are some who, misguided by a tiny fraction of the greedy elite formation, are not happy with the achievements of the government. Imagine such pronouncements like “Na road we go chop?” or “Na bridge we go chop?” These are regrettable comments you hear from  even among the educated.And when you ask them why they are not happy seeing so much development everywhere, you’re told the governor is not distributing money as they used to have it.

    Indeed, there is this sense of entitlement euphemistically called ‘stomach infrastructure’ and it is being seen as the right thing to do because that was the practice in the past. But how can the state develop when state resources are distributed rather than invested  in durable initiatives that have real value for the overall development of the people and society at large?

    While physical infrastructure will drive development and ensure everyone is enabled to provide their own ‘stomach infrastructure’, the primitive sharing of state resources in the manner of apostles of ‘stomach infrastructure’ only ends in waste deposited in the toilet! And it is only a matter of time before they come back for more.

    To be sure, Governor Dickson had made it known to all from the outset that his administration would be different. Said he in his inaugural address :” We shall undertake fundamental reform of governance culture to emphasize transparency, accountability, due process and value re-orientation by all institutions and functionaries of government, beginning with my humble self… there shall be zero tolerance for corruption… The days of enrichment without labour and funding the greed and avarice of a few at the expense of the development of our people is over”.

    It was a future foretold. Evidently, the governor saw the current ugly developments coming because he knew how much critical values had nose-dived. A reformation and a re-ordering would be inescapable to have a sane society which can only be the basis for development. From carrying out the reforms he promised in government, building institutions and making them work by enforcing compliance, the quest for re-orientation has been a major success and a clear departure from the anything-goes situation the government inherited. Just as the policies and programmes of the Restoration Agenda were being put in place for implementation, government was also cleaning up the Augean stable, enthroning due diligence and accountability in expenditure. This was not done by mere words of mouth but by the enactment of  relevant legislation and living by example on the part of the leadership.

    This is why it has been possible to deliver on the free education policy of the government; to regularly pay for WAEC, NECO and JAMB fees for all students, and to ensure the scholarship scheme for numerous Bayelsans up to PhD in local and foreign top rated schools are realistic. This is why Yenagoa has become a modern state capital with newly constructed roads and the first ever flyover to ease traffic , the several roads and bridges lnking the various communities in the state, the reason people can now drive straight to Nembe from Yenagoa for the first time. It explains why we now have the first world class diagnostic centre in Bayelsa State, among so many other uplifting infrastructural monuments and other life changing schemes and programmes spanning the state.

    Admittedly, the stomach infrastructure mentality is not peculiar to Bayelsa State but is  a national malaise which represents a tragedy in our political culture. No one can pretend not to know or appreciate the level of underdevelopment and huge poverty in Bayelsa State which had  over the years constituted a huge shame to the Ijaw nation. We have had governments in the state but none has had such massive socio-economic impact on the people as this Restoration Government.Yet there are  people who ought to know better and  be in the vanguard of championing the cause of development but who are instead fuelling disaffection and dissatisfaction, instigating the populace against the government even on very basic, commonsense measures.

    Why, for instance, should workers in the state bureaucracy feel bad over the insistence of the government on punctuality and presence at work violation of  which will attract sanction? That government should pay salary for work not done? Or why should the same set of people feel that the insistence of the government that the Pay As You Earn (PAYE), a federal government law, should not be applicable in the state?

    In another dimension, some wealthy Bayelsans who should use their resources to advance the living condition of their less-fortunate brothers and sisters are not doing so but only interested in throwing themselves around as “big men” in society and regrettably even doing greater harm by sponsoring hate campaign against the government of the day. The poverty at home is not an issue to them but their selfish and inordinate posturing to gain political power and return the state to the past’s savage soul. This is why an individual is going about boasting that he has set aside N15 billion for the sole purpose of removing the incumbent governor. Invariably, the crab in the basket analogy which doesn’t allow any of the crabs get out of the basket because they pull down one another is apt. But at what cost to the society and to the people?

    It is not about Governor Seriake Dickson but  about the sustenance of the collective good of the people who are beneficiaries of the good works of the government. It is also about decent sense of leadership and acknowledgement that Bayelsa State has  had a governor who is changing the ethos of government from that of profligacy and Father Christmas to the pursuit of  the common good.

    Frantz Fanon has  told us, “each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it”. Governor Henry Seriake Dickson  has  long discovered his  mission and is working assiduously to fulfill it. The challenge before all Bayelsans and indeed all Nigerians is whether they are doing the same.

     

    •Iworiso-Markson, Chief Press Secretary to Bayelsa State Governor sent this piece from Yenagoa.

  • N9b oil pipeline contracts: Tension in Delta, Bayelsa

    N9b oil pipeline contracts: Tension in Delta, Bayelsa

    The multi-billion naira Federal Government pipeline protection contracts are causing confusion in Delta and Bayelsa states.

    Oil-bearing communities in Urhoboland yesterday gave a week ultimatum to the government to review the contracts, to include the interest of Urhobo in Delta Central.

    Giving the ultimatum in Warri during a chat with The Nation, the Urhobo Host Communities, the umbrella body for oil and gas host communities, said failure to take the ultimatum seriously would prove disastrous for oil facilities on their land.

    The coordinator of the body, Maurice Idiowha, said the leaders and youths in the eight Urhobo-speaking council areas of Delta State were aggrieved that they were excluded from the contracts.

    Idiowha said Urhobo land has major oil facilities, wondering how the Federal Government could expect an Ijaw or an Itsekiri to secure the pipelines in their area.

    He said: “If the Federal Government does not call us within the next one week, the assets and facilities in Urhobo land will no longer be secured. The communities and their leadership, the youths, the ex-militants phase three, every president-general, every youth leader, we will all remove our hands from the leadership and authorise and allow the communities to do as they please.

    “We have been standing in the gap for the Federal Government and the communities all these while, but it seems our letters, our requests and our pleas have been falling on deaf ears. So, in a week from now, if the Federal Government does not call us to sit and review this process. All facilities in Urhobo land will no longer be secured.

    “If the Urhobo nation in Delta Central is not included in the pipelines surveillance contract, we will not be able to guarantee the safety of the assets of the facilities in Urhobo land. Come to think of it, Urhobo is a majority. We have lots of the facilities that sustain the economy of Nigeria; in terms of the WRPC, we have it in abundance, the Otor-Orogun Gas plant that powers Aso Rock, you have it in Urhobo land. The Ughelli Quality Control Centre is in Urhobo land; the Eriemu manifold, one of the largest in West Africa, is in Urhobo land. What is the surveillance if all these assets are not protected? These are what drive the nation’s economy, you don’t expect an Ijaw or an Itsekiri man to come and protect assets in Urhobo land.

    “So, we are saying Federal Government should immediately respond and call Urhobo to be included in the surveillance contract, otherwise all facilities in Urhobo land can no longer be guaranteed safety because the youths, the president-generals, the host communities that are hosting these facilities are very aggrieved right now and the threats are coming to us the leaders of the host communities.

    “We have been holding these people back; we’ve written letters, we’ve written petitions, we’ve given ultimatums, which have all fallen on deaf ears. We are calling that Urhobo be included in the contracts; otherwise, the Federal Government and the companies will face the wrath of the communities.”

    Ex-militants, the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) and Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson are also fighting over the pipeline surveillance contracts.

    Hundreds of ex-militants last Friday held anti-Governor Seriake Dickson protests, saying hate songs against their governor.

    The Bayelsa State share of the contracts was the reason why the ex-militants led by a former Commander of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Mr. Eris Paul, popularly known as ‘General Ogunboss, took over the road and disrupted public peace.

    Dickson and the IYC believe it is unfair for the contract to be awarded to only Bajero, a company formed with the initials of ex-militant leaders who hail from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. The ex-militant leaders, who combined their initials to form Bajero are Victor Ebikabowei (Boyloaf), Africa Ukpariasa (General Africa), Joshua Macaiver, Eris Paul (Ogunboss), Pastor Reuben and Osei Clever.

    Youths of from Bayelsa State yesterday protested attempts by ex-militant leaders from the state to corner the multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract approved by the Federal Government for the state.

    The youths who marched the streets of Yenagoa, the state capital, voiced their support for the Izon-Ibe Security Company Nigeria Limited, a security company established by the state government to execute the job.

    Hundreds of the youths under the aegis of Yenagoa Youth Forum (YYF), took their protest to the Government House Gate, Yenagoa.

    They created heavy traffic gridlock me frustrated motorists and travelers along the popular Mbiama-Yenagoa Road.

    They were received by the Commissioner for Youth, Collins Cocodia, and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Ebizi Ndiomu-Brown.

    The President of YYF, Olomu Norris, said the youths of the area would resist any move by the ex-militant leaders to hijack the pipeline protection contract.

    He said the state-owned security company was in a better position to handle the job as it represents the general interest of the people of the state,including stakeholder groups like youths,women, and traditional rulers.

    “Yenagoa Local  Government  youths say it is enough. Enough is a enough.We are solidly behind Izon-Ibe Security Company.

    “The Federal Government should give the pipeline surveillance contract to Izon-Ibe Security Company because the way the government has made it, youths in the state will be part of it. The company will enhance the living standard of the youths”, he said.

    Norris warned the former Niger Delta militant leaders and their followers to desist from blocking the Mbiama-Yenagoa Road over the NNPC pipeline job.

    The National Chairman, 6166 Presidential Amnesty Phase II, ‘General’ Aso Tambo, said Dickson had concluded plans with the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, to hijack the contracts.

    “Other states like Delta, Edo, Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom are also involved because they have ex-militants like us. The governors of these states did not encroach into these contracts,” he said.

    Eradiri on Sunday raised the alarm over alleged threats to his life. He said ex-militants leaders were threatening him over his insistence that Bajero must not be the sole beneficiary of the contract to protect pipelines in Bayelsa.

    Eradiri said the ex-militant leaders had exposed themselves as selfish individuals who have no interests of the poverty-stricken Ijaw communities at heart.

    He faulted the implementation of the pipeline surveillance contracts, saying they were designed to benefit the oil-bearing communities.

    He said: “I was coincidentally Secretary-General of the IYC when the Niger Delta was on fire and that leadership led by Dr. Chris Ekiyor swung into action to resolve the crisis in the region.

    “We were negotiating with the Federal Government. Many past leaders came together and eventually an amnesty was proclaimed. Now this amnesty was proclaimed for about 30,000 youths that were directly involved in the agitation.

    “When we were designing the programme, we said that if you have 30,000 young people that have been involved in this agitation taken away from the creeks to be trained and reintegrated into the society, you need also to do something to engage the communities, the people.

    “This is because the number of youths who are vulnerable to being used for criminal activities are basically in the communities. I was part of those who wrote that programme for a security surveillance for oil installations in the communities.”

  • Travails of JAMB candidates in Bayelsa

    Travails of JAMB candidates in Bayelsa

    Most candidates that applied to participate in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bayelsa State are currently going through a tough time. For no fault of theirs, the candidates are groaning and battling to have  computers to write the examination organized by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB).

    The travails of the candidates are borne out of an online system adopted by JAMB for writing the examination. JAMB recently reorganized UTME and introduced a full-blown electronic system for the examination.

    The system, called Computer Based Test (CBT), requires the candidates to have fundamental or elementary knowledge of the computer because they are expected to use it to write the examination.

    Despite the advantages of the system which is designed to eliminate examination malpractices, the ongoing experiment has revealed some challenges. The Nation monitored the conduct of the examination in the five approved centres in Bayelsa State. A major challenge identified by our reporter in all the centres is lack of support infrastructure.

    Lack of electricity supply and insufficient computers heightened the level of frustration among the candidates in some of the centres. Two of the centres were located in the Niger Delta University (NDU) ,Amassoma, while others were in Agudama, Yenezue-Gene, and Otuoke.

    Candidates for the examination were stranded and seen complaining bitterly over the technical challenges they faced during the exam. One of the UTME’s technical employee, Mr. James Oladipo, said, unstable power supply was a big challenge.

    “Power failure is an issue and the generator we were provided with was going on and off. We have been  trying to rectify it and believe God will give us the grace to do that,” he said.

    He, however, said the computers provided for the candidates at the Niger Delta University Centre 1 were enough for the candidates.

    It was observed that the exam which was supposed to start at 9:00am began two or three hours later in some centres.

    One of the candidates, Masa Terry, while praising the system also criticized it for not taking into cognizance the poor infrastructural development in the country.

    He also said the system was not favourable to candidates from rural areas who were not conversant with the use of computers.

    “This is a modern system and it’s very good but for people who came from remote areas,it was not a good experience for them because they’ve never used a computer before. This resulted in mass failure,” he said.

    Another candidate, Ezi Rex, lamented that he could not join the first batch in writing the exam because the computers were in short supply.

    “Before initiatives like these are executed, adequate provisions should have been made so that nobody would be embarrassed at the end of the day”, he said.

    Also Mr. Obagua Jonathan, questioned the preparedness of JAMB for the examination.

    He said: “They said the exam would be done using computer  but we have been here since morning without being provided with any computers or other materials  to write the exam. I have been here since 6:00am. This is past  11:00am and I have not written the examination because the computers are in short supply. It is frustrating and capable of making us to be psychologically unstable to write the exam at the end of the day. ”

    But the State Coordinator, JAMB, Mr. Joseph Oboh, said the candidates are always instructed on modalities for answering questions before the commencement of the exams.

    He said the system was designed to eliminate examination malpractices and to enable candidates get their results three hours after writing the examination.

    The state Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr. Desmond Agu, took time to visit most of the centres. Agu and his entourage went round to ensure that the environment for the examination was adequately secured.

    His men were stationed around the centres to restrain persons who have no business with the examination. Agu commended JAMB for adopting the electronic system but observed that most of the challenges were technical.

    “It is one of the mandates of NSCDC to monitor every exam that is conducted in Nigeria. I commend JAMB for making use of this system despite the challenges which are basically technical,” he said.

    He said his men were mandated to check examination misconduct and advised candidates to report to their centres early. He said the examination would be conducted from March 10 to March 18

  • Tension in Bayelsa as ex-militant leaders, police clash

    Tension in Bayelsa as ex-militant leaders, police clash

    Bayelsa State was soaked in tension on Friday after the police and protesting ex-militants and their leaders clashed in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The aggrieved ex-militants were said to have taken over the road to protest alleged meddling of their pipeline surveillance contracts by the Governor of the state, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

    Guns boomed and teargas filled the air as the agitating ex-militants tried to resist a push by hundreds of armed policemen to get them out of the popular Mbiama-Yenagoa road.

    Hundreds of ex-militants led by a former commander of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Mr. Eris Paul, popularly known as Ogunboss, took over the Tombia roundabout area of the road.

    The ex-militants were said to have stormed the roundabout at about 6am, made bonfires with two tyres and stopped all vehicular movement.

    The action of the ex-militant leaders who chanted anti-Dickson songs created traffic gridlock and panic in the area.

    It was gathered that matters went out of control when a truckload of armed policemen arrived the area to stop the protest.

    The policemen were said to have fired gunshots into the air and thrown teargas at the protesting youths.

    It was gathered that the agitating youths retaliated by hauling stones and other missiles at the police and their vans.

    The angry ex-militants were said to have vandalized the trucks of the police with Ricky stones and demobilized the truck with bonfires.

    The armed policemen were said to have further descended on them with heavy batons and butts of their rifles.

    Over nine vehicles were reportedly vandalized in the ensuing melee while some shops and a popular camp muphy relaxation spot were torched.

    It was further learnt that some of the ex-militants also fired their guns into the air forcing the police to apply more force against them.

    As the police and the ex-militant leaders battled, drivers and commuters were said to have fled their vehicles to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

    Many patrol vans and trucks of policemen were said to have arrived the area for reinforcement which compelled the protesters to retreat.

    Most of the ex-militants were said to have relocated to the house of Ogunboss while others fled to unknown places.

    Though some sources said an ex-militant was killed and eight others injured in the fracas that broke out, the claims could not be confirmed.

    Some of the protesters were said to have been arrested and taken to the headquarters of the police command in the state.

    A visit to the roundabout showed that the area was tensed with over 20 patrol vans of policemen and soldiers surrounding it.

    The armed men frisked most pedestrians and ordered them to raise their hands before passing through the roundabout.

    Speaking on the protest, the National Chairman, 6166 Presidential Amnesty Phase II, ‘General’ Aso Tambo, blamed the development on Dickson.

    He said the ex-militants were angry with the governor for allegedly encroaching pipeline security contract awarded to them by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

    “Other states like Delta, Edo, Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom are also involved because they have ex-militants like us. The governors of these states did not encroach into these contracts.

    “In the case of Bayelsa, we don’t know while the governor is making it peculiar that he wants to share the security contracts with the ex-militant leaders. He wants to take 50 per cent while the ex-militants will be given 50 per cent.

    “As at the time this contract was awarded, Dickson was not even a governor. These contracts were awarded as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) we undertook with the federal government that if we accept the amnesty offer, pipeline security jobs will be given to us. That was why the jobs were given to us”, he said.

    He said they would never allow any governor to hijack the jobs threatening to make the stage uncomfortable for Dickson if he refused to stay away from the contracts.

    He said: “If the governor has people he wants to empower, the state has many resources through internally generated revenues and statutory allocations. Bayelsa is a room and parlour state.

    “We are even surprised that the state till tomorrow has not been developed to our state after all the trillions that had come into the state. The governor should not interfere with our contract.

    “If he does so, we will continue to keep him restless. We will continue to suffocate him pending when his elections will come and we will definitely not give him any room to come back.”

    Also, Ogunboss, said the angry ex-militants trooped to the streets to protest wrong policies of the present administration in the state and the plot by Dickson to hijack a multibillion dollar NNPC pipeline surveillance contract to communities in the state.

    “Apart from the numerous show of incompetence by the present administration, Dickson is trying to hijack the job meant for the oil-bearing communities in the state.

    “Most of the South-South states have signed the allocation of the surveillance contract but Dickson is insisting that the job be awarded to a self-styled company known as Izon Ibe, a security outfit that we don’t know.

    “Dickson should concentrate on the use of state allocation and internally generated revenue to advance the good of the State rather than hijack jobs coming to communities.”

    Contacted on the development, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Daniel Markson-Iworiso dismissed the claim of the ex-militant as “parochial”.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Asinim Buswatt, said the police did not clash with the ex-militants.

    He said the policemen only employed civil means to disperse the protesters adding that nobody died during the protest.

    “The police only shot tear gas canisters to disperse them.The police did not shoot live cartridges,” he said.

  • Fire razes residential building in Bayelsa

    Fire raised a residential building in the early hours of yesterday on Arietalin Street, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

    A resident in the area who identified himself as Ejike said a kerosene stove exploded and ignited the fire.

    He said: “We just saw fire coming from the kitchen of one of the houses. It is like one of the people living in the house abandoned his cooking and went out.

    “Before we knew what was happening, the fire was all over the place, so we decided to call the state fire fighters. Household items and documents were burnt. In fact, we couldn’t get a thing from the house.”

    Another victim whose apartment was raised by the inferno said she was not aware of the cause of the fire.

    The victim who identified himself as Frankincense said:  “I actually don’t know the cause of the fire because I just got back from night duty.

    “I was busy writing something when all of a sudden my wife called me that there was fire at my next door neighbour’s apartment. When I ran out, there was smoke inside the room and there was nobody there.

    “The fire was so fast that it immediately gutted my apartment. It burnt all my documents; school certificates, my clothes. I didn’t recover anything from the fire.

    “My neighbour should be able to say the cause of the fire because it started from his place.”

    Fire fighters from the Bayelsa State Fire Service intervened to stop the fire from spreading to other buildings in the congested neighbourhood.

    One of the fighters, High Superintendent Jonathan, said the cause of the fire had not been ascertained of the time of dousing the fire.

    “We were able to extinguish the fire with the help of the people around because of lack of personnel we have,” he said.

  • Public holiday in Bayelsa for PVC collection

    Bayelsa State government has declared today a public holiday to enable registered voters collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson urged Bayelsans to take advantage of the holiday to visit their communities and places of registrations to collect their PVCs.

    He said the government, through the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, would give logistic support to political leaders, to sensitise and mobilise their people in the local councils to obtain their PVCs and vote in the elections.