The Bayelsa State Government has directed security agencies to beef up security in and around the Unity Bridge linking Opu-Nembe and Nembe City communities in Nembe Local Government Area to forestall further cases of cross-community breach of peace.
Investigations revealed that the step became necessary following moves by some armed youths from Opu-Nembe to invade Nembe Ogbolomabiri in reprisal following the killing of three people in February.
The youths were said to have gotten intelligence reports that some of the people who allegedly participated in the killing were hiding in Nembe Ogbolomabiri and moved to fish them out but they resisted leading to open hostilities.
The Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who gave the directive at a meeting with the joint chiefs’ councils of the two Kingdoms in Government House, Yenagoa, said government was set to deal decisively with anyone found fomenting trouble in the area.
It also warned youths of Ogbolomabiri and Bassambiri of the state to refrain from acts capable of plunging the two sister communities into a major conflict.
He pointed out that the state government constructed the Nembe Unity Bridge to foster peaceful coexistence, noting that the government would not allow any person or group of persons to jeopardize the noble objective through acts of criminality and brigandage.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, assured that the government would take every necessary step to stem the recurrent cases of unprovoked attacks straddling the communities.
Stressing the need for both communities to liaise and work closely with the security agencies on the ground there, he particularly called on the Chiefs from Bassambiri to restrain their youths from further encroachment into the neighbouring community.
The Deputy Governor, who used the opportunity to commend the leadership of both kingdoms for cooperating with security agencies to ensure peace during the February and March Elections, urged people of the area to maintain the kind and civilized gesture at all times.
In their separate remarks, the Chairman of the Nembe Chiefs’ Council, Chief Erewari-Igbeta, and the Secretary of the Opu-Nembe Chiefs’ Council, Chief Robert Johnbull Efere, thanked the government for taking proactive steps to end pockets of attacks in the area.
The two chiefs who condemned the recent attacks in very strong terms, however, appealed to government and the security agencies to ensure that criminal elements using the Nembe Unity Bridge as an access point to carry out their attacks were checked.
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