The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mrs. Marie Ebikake

  • Abducted ex-Bayelsa commissioner regains freedom

    A former Commissioner for Transport in Bayelsa State, Mrs. Marie Ebikake, who was abducted on Sunday, has regained her freedom.

    A soldier was also kidnapped same day in the state.

    Ebikake was freed at about 3:00 a.m. on Friday, but the fate of the soldier is unknown.

    The spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the development in Yenagoa.

    Butswat, however, said he did not have details of how the ex-commissioner regained her freedom.

    “I can confirm that the former commissioner has been freed and reunited with her family, but I do not have the details,” he said.

    Ebikake was kidnapped at her residence in Igbogene area of Yenagoa local government area of the state.

    The soldier was abducted by suspected sea pirates between the waterway of Foropa and Azuzuama area of Southern Ijaw local government area of the state.

    The soldier, simply identified as Rotimi, was on board a passenger boat going to Yenagoa when he was abducted, while the boat driver was shot in the shoulder.

    NAN

  • Panic as abductors of Bayelsa ex-commissioner keep silent

    Panic as abductors of Bayelsa ex-commissioner keep silent

    Panic has gripped the family of the kidnapped former Commissioner for Transportation in Bayelsa State, Mrs. Marie Ebikake, following unusual silence from her abductors.

    The silence, it was learnt,  had thrown the family of the stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) into confusion.

    A family source said four days after she was taken hostage, her assailants only called on Monday and said she was in their custody.

    The source, who spoke in confidence said after the brief telephone conversion, the abductors switched off their phone.

    He said: “Since she (Ebikake) was forcibly taken away last Sunday morning, they (abductors) only called the family briefly on Monday. When they called, they did not tell us anything about ransom and why she was whisked away.

    “Since that Monday that they called, they have kept mum. Their silence is giving us serious cause for worry. The development has heightened fear and anxiety among family members.

    “Also, since that time, we have not heard from Madam Ebikake. The captors’ quiteness is getting everybody confused. We pray she is well and kicking.”

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Bayelsa State, Mr. Asinim Butswat, said the police is still investigating the incident.

    Ebikake, the first woman Chairperson of Brass Local Government Area, was whisked away on Sunday morning about 1.30 a.m from her residence in Igbogene, Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.

    The kidnappers gained entry to her room through one of the windows in their apartment after scaling the fence.

    The abduction took place few days after some armed men invaded her country home in Twon-Brass in Brass LGA and vandalised the palatial residence.

  • Bayelsa to probe former transport commissioner

    Bayelsa State Government is considering the idea of probing the activities of a former Commissioner for Transport in the state, Mrs. Marie Ebikake.

    Ebikake is a leading voice in the Peoples Democratic Party, campaigning against the re-election bid of Governor Seriake Dickson.

    The former commissioner, who is coordinating an anti-Dickson group, the PDP Unity Group (PUG), was quoted to have said that “Dickson cannot be governor again.”

    Ebikake, who was removed from office following his alleged closeness to former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, insisted that the PDP will lose the December 5 governorship election if Dickson is fielded.

    But the state Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd), hinted at a rally in Peace Park, Yenagoa, on Tuesday that Ebikake might be investigated.

    Responding to comments by Ebikake on the alleged non-performance of Dickson, the deputy governor said the former commissioner almost crippled the transportation scheme introduced by the government.

    Jonah said:  “This government tried to build a good transport system. We bought buses, taxis and gave to our people.

    “The person, who almost messed up the state transportation scheme is the one talking on television, criticizing the governor. The time is not ripe yet, we shall open the books and reveal her activities.”

    He commended non-indigenes living and doing business in the state for their peaceful conduct and disposition.

    He said that Dickson appointed more non-indigenes into his government than previous governments and would expect them to reciprocate the gesture by supporting his second term bid.

     

     

  • Bayelsa: Dickson, First Lady’s rift consumes two female officials

    The battle line has been drawn between the Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson and Dame Patience, the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The prolonged rift turned awry on Monday following the sacking of the state’s Commissioner for Local Government, Mrs. Marie Ebikake, and the governor’s Special Adviser on Federal Government Projects, Chief Remi Kuku.

    It was gathered that the duo were sacked for allegedly being disloyal to the governor and his camp by hobnobbing with the First Lady and members of her political bloc.

    The Nation had reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which hitherto paraded itself as a close-knit family had been split into two – Dickson’s and First Lady’s camps.

    It was also reported that persons found associating with Patience loyalists were viewed as haters of Dickson and vice versa.

    Ebikake and Kuku were reportedly acting as moles for the First Lady whose ambition to remove Dickson and replace him with her loyalist and Senior Special Adviser to the President on Domestic Matters, Dr. Weripamowei Dudafagh, had become public knowledge.

    The sacked female aides’ disloyalty to Dickson was said to have become obvious after they were spotted among the women that trooped out at the weekend to welcome Dame Patience at her Otuoke community, Ogbia local government area of the state.

    The first lady and her husband were in the state to attend the wedding ceremony of President Jonathan’s foster daughter, Miss. Inebai Paul, who got married to Dr. Simeon Onyemaechi.

    Prior to the wedding, it was gathered that all aides of the governor were directed to shun the first lady to pay her back for a similar treatment she extended to Dickson and her wife, Rachel.

    But Remi and Ebikake reportedly disobeyed the order as they freely identified with women loyal to the first lady.