Police, Bayelsa community trade words over attack in Nembe

The Bayelsa Police Command and indigenes of Okoroba, in Nember Local Government Area of Bayelsa are trading words over attack in the community.

The incident reportedly happened on Boxing Day, December 26.

Daily Times learnt that several members of the community reportedly made efforts to report the incident to Police authorities and other security agencies.

Spokesman for Bayelsa Police Command DSP Asinim Butswat who had earlier declined comments on the incident on Thursday said that the command was not aware of the incident.

However, Mr Gift Douglas, younger brother to the Late Oronto said that he personally reported the incident as it was happening to the Police Public Relations Officer as well as the Nembe Police Division.

He said that some gunmen, numbering about 15, on Tuesday, Dec. 26 night attacked Okoroba Community carting away property worth millions of Naira.

“It is unbelievable that Police will say they are not aware of a crime that I personally made a distress call to the Bayelsa Police Command Public Relations Officer, Asinim Butswat two clear days after the crime, I also spoke to the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations

“The Community has also written officially on the incident and the copy of the petition is available for all to see.

“We went further and called the Bayelsa government special joint security outfit ‘Doo Akpo’ and they told us that they have logistic challenge reaching our community because we are not linked by road and we made contact with other military teams that often patrol the waterways as well,” Douglas said.

Okoroba is the hometown of the late Oronto Douglas, a former Commissioner for Information in Bayelsa and later former Special Adviser to former president Goodluck Jonathan, on Research and Documentation.

A Community Leader, Chief Azibatonye Nengimonyo, also said that the gunmen who invaded the community shot sporadically on gaining access.

“The gunmen invaded our community at around 9:00pm; some of them were masked while others did not cover their faces.

“They looted the whole community, even the residence of our late brother, Chief Oronto Douglas of blessed memory.

“Those hoodlums carted away properties worth millions from this community,” he said.

He appealed to the Bayelsa Government to deploy security outfit to protect the community from such attacks in the future.

Another resident said that most of the rural communities in Bayelsa, do not have security presence.