BAYELSA STATE? STATE OF EMERGENCY? - NIDDEMCOW

CIVIL SOCIETY group, Niger Delta Development Monitoring and Corporate Watch (NIDDEMCOW) says the worrisome acts of terrorism in Bayelsa State, the home state of President Goodluck Jonathan, could trigger a state of emergency in the area.

The Executive Director of the group, Nengi James, in an on-line statement to AkanimoReports on Monday claimed that ''desperate power seekers’’ are bent on plunging the state into a deeper violent crisis.

They were speaking against the backdrop of incessant bombing of targeted politicians’ houses as uncertainties mount over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) electoral tickets.

James said the group strongly condemned the incessant attacks on the country homes of prominent Bayelsa indigenes. Their condemnation is coming on the heels of the recent attack of the country home of Timi Alaibe, Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Niger Delta Affairs at Opokuma town in the Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area.

According to them, ''before now, there have been attacks on the homes of Edmund Daukoru, the Speaker, of the state House of Assembly, Nestor Binabo, Rufus Abadi, (Major) Adigio, Amalatei Turner, a royal father, Waripamowei Dudafa, former Deputy Governor, Peremobowei Ebebi and Reginald Dede''.

While warning that a groundwork is being laid for an emergency rule in the state, they urged the Timipre Sylva administration to urgently identify the causative motives of the attackers adding, the duty of
government is to protect lives and property of citizens''.

NIDDEMCOW said they are of the view that the way of violence in the oil and gas region, is for government to frontally tackle the problem of youth unemployment and a remodification of the Amnesty Programme as well as the implementation of the Ledum Mitee-led Niger Delta Technical Committee report.

''These measures are very vital for peace to reign in the Niger Delta '', the group said, and accordingly called on government and the security agencies to live up to their expectations.


Continuing, they said, ''these attacks are coming barely few months to the 2011 general elections. It is surprising that politicians in Bayelsa, President Jonathan's home state, are not playing the game according to the rules and without rancor and acrimony''