Violence broke out in Yenagoa, the state capital of Bayelsa, on Wednesday, as former councillors, demonstrating against the non-payment of their allowance, amounting to N918 million engaged political thugs in a free-for-all after they had blocked the main gate of Creek Haven Government House.
The protesting councillors, who halted traffic within the metropolis, for some hours, thus causing gridlock, stormed the frontage of the government house, around 11.45am, preventing vehicular entry in and out of the premises, just as security agencies prevailed on them to maintain peace, so that their grouses would be addressed.
Not quite 35 minutes after the siege at the main gate, suspected political thugs, armed with dangerous weapons, in buses stormed the scene and swiftly engaged the demonstrating councillors in a fight, while some expensive cars, belonging to them were vandalized.
Some of them, who sustained serious injuries, were immediately rushed to undisclosed hospitals for treatment, after the ensued melee subsided.
The former chairman of Bayelsa Councillors’ Forum, Honourable Ebiks Lokpobiri, from Ekeremor Local Government Area, who led the protest, in an interview with journalists before the suspected thugs invaded the scene said that “ We are councillors that have served this state for three years while in office allowances that were owned to us were not paid.”
“Immediately after leaving office, we approach the government and explained our dilemma to them. The government assured us and pleaded with us that he was going to pay the money. We went to court and the government pleaded with us to withdraw the matter for us to settle it”, he lamented.
Continuing, “Even the deputy governor, Chief Wereninpre Seibarugu pleaded with us and we agreed. After withdrawing the matter, we kept going to the Commissioner for Local Government and he has been dribbling us. We are 105 across the state. The least person is owned about N8 million. and so everything the government owes us is about N918 million. We served as elected officials between 2004 and 2007. We have had series of meetings with the governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, the deputy governor, the commissioner and local government chairmen. Recently we held a meeting with the governor and our lawyer, Mr Femi Falana. We met in deputy governor’s office and the government promised to pay the money.”
When the Nigerian Tribune contacted the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Communication, Chief Nathan Egba-Ologo, he promised to send his reaction on the issue through phone.
Reacting later over the violence that broke out at the Government House, Chief Nathan Egba-Ologo, described the action of the protesting former councillors as mark of insensitivity and sinister agenda at a time the nation was battling with national strike.
"They are clearly on a mission different from what they are claiming, Governor Timipre Sylva and other leaders are currently engaged in finding durable solution to burning national problems and therefore ought not be distracted with issues affecting few individuals. They should be ignored," he submitted.
Daily Jokes | Free Forex Signals | Ibadan City Network (Forum) | Small Business Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment
Add A Comment