Bayelsa Election: Scared Residents Flee Southern Ijaw To Avoid Attack

Many residents have reportedly fled Southern Ijaw area of Bayelsa State over fears of violence and attacks in the rescheduled State governorship election which holds tomorrow,Saturday.


According to a report by The Guardian, many of the residents are scared there would be an eruption of violence and the security forces deployed do not have enough manpower to contain it.

The residents  had their fears compounded when the speaker of the State House of Assembly,Kombowei Benson was reportedly attacked on Thursday in Korokorosie, Southern Ijaw  when suspected members of the opposition allegedly threw dynamites that destroyed part of his house.

The people also voiced their pessimism over the assurances by the security agencies (the Police and army) that they will protect lives and properties of residents.The residents also noted that arms, ammunition and numerous strangers have invaded the area and doubt the capability of the security agencies.

According to a resident “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?

“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?”

Ebi Doupola, a teacher and resident of Okporoma in Southern Ijaw said: “It will be foolhardy for anybody to take the assurances of the police and the other security agencies’ capability to secure the lives and property of those of us in those communities, hook, line and sinker.

“We have seen what these people have brought into the communities, we know the capability of their weapons and we know the ability of those people who brought these weapons, not only to deploy them, but also their willingness to use them at the slightest provocation, or should I say, opportunity. These people are desperate and deadly and they would use these weapons tomorrow. Forget about what anybody tells you, we know what is happening here and what will happen at the end of the day,” he said.

Public transport operators in the area have been seen making brisk business moving people out of the area. The operators said people were anxious to get out of the place.

However, some other residents are optimistic that the election would be peaceful. Some said there have always been talks of war every time there was an election in the area but it always held and the talks turned out to be a false alarm or at best grossly magnified. 

The executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Ben Amgwe has vowed that any military officer or any other security personnel found wanting during the Bayelsa rerun election will be punished in accordance to the law.

He assured residents that the commission would be in the state to monitor the election and conduct of security agencies.