APPREHENSIVE of violence during the rescheduled governorship election in the Southern Ijaw Local Council of Bayelsa State tomorrow, residents of the area have been fleeing to neighbouring states.
There is even the fear among many of them that the election may not hold because the magnitude of violence will be such that past crises will be child’s play. They also fear that security forces deployed in the area will not be able to control an outbreak of violence.
As if confirming the fear of the residents, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Konbowei Benson , was yesterday reportedly attacked in Korokorosie in Southern Ijaw Local Council.
Benson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who spoke on a live telephone radio programme, claimed that some persons suspected to be members of the opposition threw dynamites that destroyed part of his house.
He claimed to have got wind of the attack in the early hours of yesterday through a telephone call. However, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Asinim Butswat, said he was yet to be informed of the development.
Besides, the Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Ben Amgwe has said that any military officer or any other security personnel found wanting during the Bayelsa rerun election will be punished according to the law.
Amgwe disclosed this yesterday in Abuja when protesting members of the Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER) led by the Executive Director, Frank Tietie came to his office over the Bayelsa rerun.
“What can 5,000 policemen do? With the kind of weapons in the area, the policemen would all run for their lives when the shooting starts. Some of the policemen would come with batons and most would be unarmed. Do you think this is a kindergarten stuff?” a resident asked The Guardian.
He continued: “We are talking about a full-scale war with all the attendant side effects that come with it. We don’t even believe there will be any election on Saturday. Starting from Friday (today) evening, there will be shootings and killings, all over the place. Who will come out to vote on Saturday?
“How many people do you see here coming from outside this area? You are the only one, I have seen. You said you were a journalist? Well, I admire your guts, but if you know what is good for you, you had better go back, or will they pay for your dead body in Lagos?”
Despite assurances by the security agencies, which include the police and military over their plans to protect property and lives in the area, the people themselves are not impressed.
Source: The guardian
No comments:
Post a Comment