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Tag: Yenagoa

  • Matters arising as IYC gets new Central Zone leadership

    Matters arising as IYC gets new Central Zone leadership

    There is no gainsaying that the national leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide is under the throes of leadership crisis. The IYC has two factions at the national level. But the Central Zone of IYC is calm.

    The central zone recently held elections to constitute its new executive committee. The election which held at Ijaw House, Yenagoa was free of rancour. It was adjudged free and fair. At the end of the poll, Mr. Tare Porri, a lawyer, emerged the new Chairman of the zone.

    Others are Amiebi Turner, Vice-chairman; Wariebi Buruboyefe, Secretary; Oki Torutein Isiya, Assistant Secretary; Kockman Kurobo, Information Officer; Beledanyo Barass, Treasurer and Daniel Pre-ebi Eyenghe, Financial Secretary.

    Also elected were Okpu Juliana Alagoa, Woman Leader; Timilaemi Ebifoubo, Mobilisation Officer and Gesikeme Fulutu, Students Representative.

    In fact, most Ijaw leaders believe that the central zone is the nucleus of the IYC operations. The zone, which is mainly Bayelsa State, was the brains behind the Kaiama Declaration that led to the founding of the council.

    It was in Kaiama located in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, that the youths, in honour of the late Ijaw hero, Maj. Isaac Adaka Boro, who hailed from the town,  gathered to take a decision to commence agitations for self-determination and resource control.

    Therefore, the zone is a rallying point for IYC activities especially as Bayelsa is the only homogeneous Ijaw state. Undoubtedly, the newly elected leadership of IYC in the zone has a big task on its hand.

    But the new chairman of the zone, Porri, is capable and well-prepared to offer the leadership. The votes he garnered showed he was widely accepted to lead the zone. Out of the 100 delegates that voted in the election, 81 voted for him. Porri, in his first public outing also vowed to run an all-inclusive administration.

    He was grateful to the state Governor Seriake Dickson for creating an enabling environment for the elective committee to deliver a peaceful election. Addressing Dickson as the leader of the Ijaw nation, he said the governor’s intervention in the IYC crisis led to the birth of the new zonal leadership.

    “This was one election that was keenly contested and he provided the needed leadership as a father to all. This was one election the governor was unbiased.

    “He never had a candidate and he actually supported the electoral committee, the national IYC and the zonal leadership to ensure that the elections were peaceful and credible. Sincerely, the election that brought us on board is adjudged the freest, fairest and most credible in the history of IYC”, he said.

    Porri also thanked the members of the IYC and its founding fathers that came out to support the electoral process. He said the youths came out without molestation to  cast their votes. He promised not to let down the youths saying he would continue to move the Ijaw nation forward.

    The chairman-elect said on the day of their inauguration he would set up the first Elders’ Advisory Council. “It is one of our focus because we are determined to return the IYC back to the grassroots. We are returning the council back to the clans, the Ogbos, parliament and other stakeholders, who are the original owners”, he said.

    He added: “The Kaiama Declaration is founded on resource control and self-determination by any means necessary. We will hit the ground running by taking necessary steps to address some of these challenges currently affecting the Ijaw nation, part of which is that right now we don’t have the formidable force that will also support the governor of Bayelsa State in presenting the Ijaw position before the Nigerian state.

    Porri also reinstated that Ijaw position on the state of the nation saying only restructuring would guarantee a united Nigeria. He said if the country failed to restructure, the Ijaw would opt for self-determination and total resource control as contained in the Kaiama Declaration.

    He said: “We are not scared of break-up, but what we are saying is that if we must continue to live together as a nation, we must restructure. If they are not ready for restructuring, we are saying that we want to have total control of our resources.

    “By so doing, we are resorting to the spirits behind the Kaiama Declaration which is self-determination by all means possible.

    “While we continue to heed the call that Nigeria must live together, we will not also hesitate to state that any attempt to think that we are a weaker vessel, we will take actions to end this marriage. Everybody should come to the table with their demands so we can resolve to move this country forward”.

    The chairman further described the existing eight local government areas in Bayelsa State as no longer acceptable. He argued that Bayelsa is not the smallest state in the country in terms of landmass and lamented that the condition of the state typified  the lopsidedness of the Nigerian federation.

    He said with the state’s landmass and its contributions to the development of the country, Bayelsa deserved more local government areas.

    Porri said: “I did my Law School in Kano, some of the local government areas are not up to three communities. Kano State should not be up to 20 local government areas by all standard.

    “Look at Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa. If it were to be in Kano, Southern Ijaw would have produced 10 local government areas alone. The same thing with Ekeremor. Most leaders in this country are not sincere in the way they do their things.

    “We are not happy that Bayelsa has only eight local government areas because derivation is on local government basis. That is why even when we are the one bringing the resources on the table, they are the people determining what happens to those resources”.

    He said Ijaw agitation predated that of Biafra and recalled that their hero, late Major Isaac Adaka Boro, once fought the Federal Government to demand resource control. He insisted that Ijaw was never part of Biafra.

    He said: “Don’t forget that our agitation predates that of Biafria. Don’t forget that our hero Major Isaac Adaka Boro started this agitation before Biafra. Our hero was arrested and imprisoned. He was later released to fight the war against Biafra”.

    He also condemned the attack on a military post at Ogbubegbene in Boamdi, Delta State. Porri described the attack on the military that led to the death of a soldier as evil but said the military should adopt another method of fishing out suspects without harassing and intimidating Ijaw communities.

    He said that Ijaw youths were ready to help the military apprehend persons behind the attack at a military checkpoint in Burutu, Delta State. He, however, lamented that about five communities in Ekeremor Local Government Area were the worst hit in the ongoing operations by the military to arrest the fleeing suspects.

    He said: “You are aware again of what happened a few days ago at Ogbubegbene where some group of young men attacked a military post there and killed an army man. They also took away some weapons. We are condemning the act in its entirety.

    “But that does not mean that the military should also take laws into their own hands by invading our communities. About five communities in Ekeremor Local Government have been invaded by the Nigerian military.

    “We are saying that this sort of activities will result in a serious crisis which may get out of control. While we are condemning the action of those hoodlums, we are saying that the action of molesting women and children can damage the relative peace we have in the region”.

  • Man killed by gunmen in Yenagoa not NYSC member – Spokesman

    Man killed by gunmen in Yenagoa not NYSC member – Spokesman

    Samuel Collins, the 31-year-old man shot dead by unknown gunmen on Saturday in Yenagoa, is not a corps member, an official of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) in Bayelsa, has said.

    Mr Mathew Ngobua, Head, Public Relations Unit, NYSC office Yenagoa, made the clarification on Monday in Yenagoa in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    He said that checks conducted at NYSC database revealed that the name of the victim was not in the record.

    He described reports that the victim was a corps member as “misleading,’’ adding that the security of corps members was top priority of the management of the NYSC in Bayelsa.

    NAN reports that Collins was until his death, a contract security guard.

    He was shot by unknown gunmen and dispossessed of his mobile phone, money and other valuables in Kpansia suburb of Yenagoa.

    The Police Public Relations Officer at the Bayelsa Command, Mr Asinim Butswat, had confirmed the incident to NAN on Sunday in Yenagoa.

    Butswat also corrected the impression that the victim was a corps member.

    He explained that family members of the deceased said that Collins was undergoing training on oil and gas skills project in Port Harcourt.

    “On 24 June, 2017 at 2130 hours, policemen responded to a distress call of cult activities at Kpansia, Yenagoa.

    “The policemen responded swiftly and on arrival met a young man in a pool of blood.

    “The young man was later identified as one Samuel Collins third party security operative at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

    “Collins was undergoing training programme at Port Harcourt and came to Yenagoa for the holidays.

    “The deceased was not an NYSC member as erroneously captured in some headlines,” Butswat said.

    The police spokesman said the killing was cult related based on the utterances of the gunmen as narrated to the Police by eyewitnesses before the victim was shot.

    He said that investigation was on-going to unravel those behind the dastardly act and apprehend them since the police had gathered useful information on the cult group.

  • Suspected robbers shoot dead corps member in Yenagoa

    Gunmen, suspected to be robbers, at the weekend shot dead a 30-year-old corps member and dispossessed him of his money and other valuables in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

    The Police Public Relations Officer at the Bayelsa Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, confirmed the killing to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday.

    Butswat said preliminary investigation showed that the killing was cult-related adding that detailed investigation was ongoing to unravel those behind the dastardly act and apprehend them.

    According to the Police, the incident occurred on Saturday evening on Melford Okilo Road, INEC/Kpansia area of Yenagoa metropolis.

    The victim, Samuel Collins, was a graduate of Engineering from the University of Benin.

    Collins was accosted by the hoodlums at INEC Road junction on his way to the Nigerian Content Development and Management Board’s office on Isaac Boro Expressway, where he was undergoing training.

    According eyewitnesses, the young man was gunned down when he tried to drag his phones and valuables with his assailants.

    An eyewitness, who wished anonymity, said Collins was shot by the gunmen at a close range on his head.

    He said the bullets from the hoodlums’ guns shattered the victim’s head.

    The gunmen abandoned the lifeless body of their victim, fled the scene after making away with his phone, money and other valuables.

    Some of his friends described Collins as an easy-going and brilliant young man.

    They confirmed that the Police had since removed his body and deposited it at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre,Yenagoa.

    According to them, arrangements were being made to take his remains to his hometown, Port Harcourt, Rivers for burial.

  • Glo takes Laffta Fest to Yenagoa

    Glo takes Laffta Fest to Yenagoa

    Telecom service provider, Globacom, last Sunday treated residents of Yenagoa, Capital of Bayelsa State to another edition of its comedy show tagged Glo Laffta Fest.

    Defying the rains, fun-loving residents of the city trooped out in numbers to witness performances by top comedy icons.

    The show has been receiving rave reviews as the country’s biggest comedy show so far.

    The show opened with up and coming acts such as home boy, Emmanuel Debegene, aka MC Emmaralo; Don Wizzy, British Pastors, Barrack King and G-Bones who set the mood for the more resourceful comedians who later performed.

    De Don, who is a Lagos-based comedian and on-air-personality, was the first of the celebrated artistes to mount the stage, followed by Seyi Law, who was making his first appearance on the show.

    Next in line was Senator, the Delta State-born comic who gave Bayelsa women something to cheer about when he joked that they are so street-wise that no man could take advantage of them even if they (the women) were drunk.

    Other performers include Dan D’Humorous, 2CanTok as well as Gordons who was the indubitable lord of the night.

    The exciting show was anchored by Nollywood star actress, Mercy Johnson-Okojie.

    In a dance competition which was one of the highlights of the show, Gift Osareme got the crown and a goodie bag for her performance while  Simeone Soroghaye, a worker and part-time student walked home with the winning prize in the male category.

     The presence of Nollywood actors, Kanayo O. Kanayo and Angela Okorie, who were celebrity guests at the event, provided additional excitement at the show.

  • 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.

     

  • Bayelsa ritual killing: Tension mounts as youths attack shops, traders 

    Bayelsa ritual killing: Tension mounts as youths attack shops, traders 

     

    …Army deploys Armoured tank

     

    Aggrieved youths from Biogbolo, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, continued their attack on shops and other business premises belonging to non-indigenes to protest the ritual killing of one of their kinswomen identified as Faith.

    Faith died on Monday two days after a man invited her to his room at De New Wapo Hotel located in the area, drugged her and harvested some sensitive parts of her body including her breasts.

    When news of her death filtered into the community, angry youths, who identified the killer as a non-indigene took to the streets attacking shops and persons suspected to be non-indigenes.

    The activities of the mob created tension and forced business owners to close shop.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Amba Asuquo, deployed a detachment of policemen to the scene but despite their presence, the youths caused more damage on shops and stopped resumption of business yesterday.

    Investigations revealed that business owners deserted their premises and persons who tried to reopen their shops hurriedly closed them on sighting the youths.

    But some of the non-indigenes were said to have engaged the aggrieved indigenes in a free-for-all, with the youths from both sides sustaining injuries.

    Most of the stalls from Yeni-zuegene to Opolo, a significant stretch of the Mbiama-Yenagoa road were torched by the protesters.

    Shops with glass windows and doors were shattered while others were looted by the youths, who carried machetes, sticks and other weapons.

    Part of the upholstery and timber market was set ablaze by the youths, who also destroyed some furniture including chairs.

    The busy Mbiama-Yenagoa road was devoid of traffic as motorists and other road users plied alternative routes.

    The Nigerian Army deployed an Armed Personnel Carrier (APC) and a van of armed soldiers to constantly patrol the troubled spots.

    But the police through the Area Commander was said to have held a meeting with the chiefs and community leaders in Biogbolo emphasizing on the need to maintain the peace.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Asinim Butswat, said the police had reinforced security in the area.

     

  • Medical workers’ strike grounds activities at FMC Yenagoa

    The current strike by some medical workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yenagoa, has grounded activities at the hospital.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some categories of health workers in the hospital went on strike last week to protest non-payment of their two months’ salary.

    Checks at the hospital on Tuesday showed that most of the wards were locked while others had few patients.

    Some of the union officials barricaded the entrance to the hospital, thereby compelling patients and visitors to use the exit gate.

    However, skeletal services were available at the Accident and Emergency Unit and the National Health Insurance Clinic.

    Following the closure of the records section of the hospital, the doctors resorted to the use of exercise books as temporary folders.

    Mr Bernard Akpedi, the Public Relations Officer of the hospital, who spoke to NAN,described the strike as regrettable and unfortunate.

    Akpedi said that the workers embarked on strike because they were owed two months’ salary arrears.

    He said that the hospital management was making efforts to pay them, adding “as we speak, one month has been paid, while we anticipate the payment of the remaining this week.”

    “The management had appealed to the workers to consider the plight of our patients during our meeting before the strike, assuring them that we were about to pay one month.

    “But at the joint congress of the unions, they unanimous agreed to go on strike, but we have continued to appeal to them to return to work.”

     

  • 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”.

     

  • Niger Delta Youth leader condemns armed attack on JTF troops

    Mr Kennedy West, a Youth Leader in the Niger Delta has condemned armed attack on troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and commisserated with the military over loss of life in the incident.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that JTF troops had repelled an attack by militants and killed a suspected militant leader in a shoot-out with the bandits in Ondo State on April 30.

    Spokesman of the Joint Force, Maj. Abubakar Abudullahi, had confirmed the development and said that a soldier was killed and three others injured during the shoot-out.

    Reacting to the development, West, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to Bayelsa Governor on Niger Delta Youth Matters, told NAN in an interview on Sunday in Yenagoa that the attack was regrettable.

    He noted that the attack came at a time the efforts of the military at restoring and sustaining peace and reducing criminality in the region were yielding fruits.

    West further condoled with the Commander of JTF, Rear Admiral Suleiman Apochi and the family of the slain soldier and advised residents in the area to assist the military in fishing out fleeing militants behind the dastardly act.

    “The attack coming at a time the JTF had achieved so much in terms of maintaining relative peace in the region is very sad, because the peace in the region had been boosting the confidence of investors.

    “The community people should assist the military to track the militants because they are not only a threat to the military but they pose greater danger to the innocent population, it is even more condemnable due to efforts by stakeholders to change the perception of investors.

    “Our people in the Niger Delta region should understand that violence has no benefit to the region.

    “We have seen what has been achieved within the months of peace in terms of Federal Government’s commitment towards development of the region” West said.

    He noted that stakeholders in the region were working tirelessly with the government and security agencies to guarantee conducive atmosphere for development and urged the military to remain focused and not allow the incident to dampen their morale.

    West further urged the JTF to enlighten residents in the affected areas that the military was in the area to isolate the deviants and protect the people.

     

  • Dickson’s wife urges Ijaw women to be hardworking

    Bayelsa governor’s wife, Mrs Racheal Dickson, has urged Ijaw women to be hardworking in all they do, and stand with one voice to achieve their aim as mothers.

    She made the call at a two-day summit in Yenagoa on Friday.

    Dickson said Bayelsa women had been making waves in different life endeavours, both home and abroad, and they should keep standing tall.

    She also urged single mothers or those that had children out of wedlock not to feel disadvantaged for those attributes could not stop them from achieving their purpose in life as women.

    She said “I am appealing to you mothers, try and encourage your children to go to school even if they have kids themselves. This cannot stop them from pursuing their careers as women.

    “Ijaw women should be their sisters keepers, they should always help others to realise and pursue their goals and aspirations as women.”

    The Managing Director of Bayelsa Economic Management, Mrs Faith Opuene, said women participation in politics was optional.

    Opuene said that for long, women had been neglected but the present administration in the state had carried women along more than the previous ones.

    She added that “women are facing difficulties in Bayelsa politics and for you to be successful, you must develop interest in it before embarking.

    “As a politician, you should know what you want to get out of it, and hardwork, and focus will make you achieve your desired goal.”

    Opuene also urged all women politicians and leaders to be sincere with the people they led, for them to earn the respect and trust of their followers.