Dickson emerges PDP candidate in Bayelsa State, amid massive security

SERIAKE DICKSON, PDP Governorship candidate, Bayelsa State

On 19 November, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) held its governorship primary elections in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, and declared Seriake Dickson, a serving member of the House of Representatives, as winner. The event was conducted amidst massive security and in defiance of a restraining court order.

In the result announced by the chairman of the party’s electoral committee, retired Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade, a former military administrator of the state and now Minister of Police Affairs, the party gave Dickson 365 votes.

Of the other candidates, Fred Ekiyegha got two votes, while Francis Doukpola and Kalangho Youpele got one vote each. The fifth aspirant, Austin Febo, who had walked out ahead of the voting, also got two votes. Two other aspirants, Bolobou Orufa and Christopher Fullpower Enai also boycotted the vote, along with National and state assembly members of the party in the state.

At the end of the event, Dickson thanked his rivals and promised to run an inclusive administration once voted into office.

It will be recalled that the election had been preceded by much controversy. On Sunday, 13 November, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja had ruled out four major contestants: incumbent governor, Timipre Sylva; the former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Timi Alaibe; the chief executive of SilverBird Communications, Ben Murray-Bruce; and the former ambassador, Godknows Igali.

On Wednesday, 16 November, Sylva obtained an order from an Abuja High Court, stopping the election on the grounds that he had already emerged as the party’s candidate in primaries conducted earlier in the year. But the PDP said the order was irrelevant, claiming the Electoral Act 2010 excluded courts from intervening in primary election disputes.

However, bowing to the Abuja court’s order, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which ought to have sent observers to observe the election, kept away. Mr Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that his Commission had received a court injunction restraining it from going ahead with the gubernatorial primary. He said: “INEC, as a law-abiding commission, will obey the court order”.

There had been heavy deployment of troops, police and other security agents to Yenagoa since Wednesday, 16 November. On the eve of the election, Sylva expressed deep concern over the security presence. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Doifie Ola, he said as chief security officer of the state, he considered the troop deployments uncalled for and capable of threatening the fundamental human rights of the people.

Five killed by suspected cultists in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State

Map of Nigeria showing Bayelsa State

On 6 November, gunmen suspected to be members of a cult, killed five persons and injured many others in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State.

Local sources say the youthful gunmen stormed a relaxation joint, Phil Collins Bar, in Edepie, a suburb of Yenagoa. The youths, who came in a black Mercedes Benz car at about 8.10pm, were apparently on the trail of a particular person.

As soon as they identified their target, they shot him to death instantly. However, their stray bullets hit and killed four other persons, while several others sustained serious injuries amidst the stampede that ensued. The attackers reportedly made away with the corpse of their primary victim.

Once alerted, a police patrol team raced to the scene, but the killers had already fled by the time it arrived. The policemen reportedly took the bodies of the other four victims to the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa. Police authorities said their men have already commenced investigation of the incident.

Gunmen kidnap First Class traditional ruler in Bayelsa State

On 1 September, unknown gunmen kidnapped a traditional ruler, His Royal Majesty, King Godwin Igodo, the Ebeni Ibe of Atissa Kingdom, in Obogoro, Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. The royal father is a First Class Ruler in the Traditional Rulers Council in the state.

According to local residents, a group of armed men came in a speedboat to Obogoro, a riverside settlement near the state capital, Yenagoa. Around 9.45pm, they got to King Igodo’s residence. The sources said the royal father, well into his seventies, had retired for the night, but the armed men woke him up forcefully and dragged him out. They marched him to their waiting boat at the waterfront and sped off into the creeks.

At the time of this report almost 24 hours later, the kidnappers had not established contact with the King’s family, but the state police command had dispatched a team of investigators to the areas around the community. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Eguavoen Emokpae, told newsmen that the police was making frantic efforts to ensure the release of the monarch.

This is the second time a First Class monarch from Bayelsa State is being kidnapped in the last three months.  On 26 June, King Oweipa Jones-Ere, the Ebenanaowei of Ogboin Kingdom, was kidnapped at a dredging site in Emohua LGA of Rivers State. The kidnappers demanded N25 million ransom. He was freed seven days later but it was not known whether any ransom was paid.

Over 12,000 killed in motorcycle accidents in Nigeria annually, Arrive Alive group reports

Motorcycle taxis: Killing 33 every day!

On 29 July, a group, Arrive Alive Road Safety Initiative, reported that over 12,000 people die in Nigeria every year, as a result of accidents related to motorcycle taxis, popularly known as Okada. That figure translates to about 33 people killed every day!

Speaking at a road safety campaign programme in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the Coordinator of the group, Mr. Ike Okonkwo, disclosed that about 30,000 people are also seriously injured by such accidents annually, many of them left with permanent disabilities. He added that over 70,000 families and dependents are also indirectly affected by the accidents annually.

The campaign programme, organized under the theme: “Truck/Motorcycle Safety: A Time for Action”, was intended to sensitise all road users and stakeholders on the need to be cautious and more responsible in their use of roads. Sponsored by Chevron Nigerian Limited in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), it also included the presentation of over 1,000 safety helmets and other safety devices to commercial motorcyclists and motorists.

Urging commercial motorcycle operators to always wear safety helmets, Okonkwo said: “The helmets do not prevent accidents but help protect the Okada riders and passengers from sustaining head injuries that could lead to death”. One road safety consultant said several studies of brain injuries resulting from road accidents suggest that use of helmets could reduce such injuries by up to 85 per cent.

Pirates kill two policemen in waterways near Yenagoa, Bayelsa State

Marine Police at the commissioning of new boats in Lagos, 2011

On 20 June, gunmen suspected to be pirates shot dead two patrol policemen along a waterway used by vessels servicing oil and gas companies off Bayelsa State.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Police in Bayelsa State, Mr Eguavoen Emokpae, the suspected sea pirates laid ambush for the marine policemen in the waterways of Swali in Yenagoa, and killed two of them.

While an amnesty programme introduced by the Federal Government in 2009 had virtually ended the armed insurgency waged by militant groups in the region, there are continuing concerns over incidents of criminal violence in the maritime environment.

For the first quarter of this year, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recorded five incidents of piracy and armed robbery in Nigerian waters.  Although IMB said three of these occurred against vessels in the Lagos area, it also noted that “information from the Norwegian-based Bergen Risks Solutions suggests that a further six unconfirmed incidents took place in the Niger Delta”.

Four UTME/JAMB candidates die in road crash in Rivers State

Sweating through the UTME/JAMB exam: A nightmare for both candidates and administrators

On 18 June, four candidates travelling to sit for the UTME/JAMB examination holding all over the country died in an accident on the Ahoada-Abua road in Rivers State.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the victims were travelling from Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, to their examination centres in Abua, Rivers State, when the accident occurred at about 6.30a.m.

Witnesses said an on-coming taxi cab, overtaking another vehicle, lost control and smashed into the commercial motorcycles that were conveying the candidates to their examination centres. They said the bodies of the victims had been deposited in the mortuary at the General Hospital in Abua.

NAN reports that when contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State, ASP Ben Ugwuegbulam, confirmed the deaths and said two persons had also been admitted in Teme Clinic, Port Harcourt, both in critical conditions.

The UTME/JAMB examination is a huge examination for candidates seeking admission to universities and polytechnics in Nigeria. Its conduct annually, is usually a logistics nightmare. According to the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Dibu Ojerinde, this year’s examination involves 1.4million candidates (almost the population of Gabon) and over 55,000 officials – coordinators, supervisors, invigilators, attendants etc – plus an unknown number of security personnel.

For the candidates, the examination is also a nightmare. Only 16 per cent of them (about one out of every six) can be offered places in the nation’s universities and polytechnics, due to limitations in the carrying capacity of the institutions. For each university, that capacity is fixed by the National Universities Commission (NUC), taking into considering such factors as availability of academic staff and existing infrastructure. For instance, in 2010, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka had 7,000 qualified candidates to study medicine, but only 150 admission slots!

Kidnapped parents of former Bayelsa commissioner Maxwell Oko freed

On 12 June, the kidnapped parents of the former Bayelsa State Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Maxwell Oko, were released, after almost ten days in captivity.

Pa Erasmus Oko, 79, and his wife Idemokumo, in her mid-50s, were seized by unknown gunmen on 2 June, from their country home in Otuasega community of Bayelsa State. The traumatized couple was reported to have been driven to Okarki waterfront in neighbouring Rivers State, where their captors transferred them to a waiting boat, and then disappeared into the creeks. They were reportedly rescued from their kidnappers in Soku, Rivers State.

It is not known if any ransom was paid as a condition for their release. One family source said they came home in good health, though the old man looked pale, as he had not taken his regular medication while in captivity. The former commissioner said he was deeply grateful to God that his parents came home safely after the nightmare.

Former militant leader ‘Commander’ Ebi Albert assassinated in Bayelsa State

Map of Nigeria highlighting Bayelsa State

On 11 June, unknown gunmen shot dead a former militant leader, ‘Commander’ Ebi Albert, and his driver in Biogbolo, a suburb of Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State. His mobile police escort was critically wounded and rushed to hospital.

According to local sources, Albert was going out with his driver and a police escort in a white Hilux van (registration number RV EY 731 PHC) at about 11 am, when about four men in another car pulled up beside him and opened fire. Albert and his driver were reportedly killed instantly, as their vehicle also veered off the road and smashed into a building by the roadside. The police escort, seriously injured, was rushed to hospital.

Apparently responding to a distress call, a police patrol team soon arrived and evacuated the corpses. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Aliyu Musa, later confirmed the incident to inquiring newsmen.

The former militant leader, an indigene of Odioma in Brass Local Government Area, is said to have been among the first set of militants who dropped their arms and signed up for the Federal Government’s amnesty programme in 2009. There are yet no indications of who may have carried out the attack or the reasons for killings.

However, Albert’s death brings to five the number of ex-militants that have lost their lives in recent times in similar circumstances in Bayelsa State. Last month, a group of ex- militant leaders had raised an alarm over what they described as systematic killing of their members.

Gunmen kidnap parents of Maxwell Oko, ex-Commissioner for Energy, in Bayelsa State

Mr MAXWELL OKO, former Commissioner for Energy, Bayelsa State

On 2 June, gunmen kidnapped Pa Erasmus Oko, aged 79, along with his wife, Mrs. Idemokumo Oko in her mid-50s, both parents of Mr. Maxwell Oko, the immediate past Commissioner for Energy in Bayelsa State.

The incident occurred in Otuasega, a rural community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, barely four hours after the dissolution of the state executive council, which also relieved Mr Maxwell Oko of the energy portfolio. 

The elderly couple was reportedly abducted by a gang of four gunmen. News agency sources said the four men had driven into the community in an unregistered, red-coloured Audi 80 salon car late in the evening, and drove around for a while, apparently firming their plans. At about 9pm, they first grabbed the commissioner’s aunt but let her off on realising she was not one of their targets. They then stormed Pa Oko’s house and seized the old man and his wife, just as she was serving him his dinner.

News agency reports further said the gunmen dragged their two captives to their waiting car and sped off to neighbouring Okarki in Rivers State, where two other members of the gang had already stationed a speedboat and were standing-by at the waterfront. The gang then transferred their captives to the waiting boat and went off to an unknown destination.

The motive for the kidnap is not yet known as the gunmen have not yet contacted the Oko family. Pa Oko, a trader, is said to be suffering from arthritis due to old age.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Bayelsa State, Mr. Eguavoen Emokpae, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, confirmed the incident to newsmen. He said the police was working hard to track down the kidnappers and free the captives.

Federal Government inaugurates first digital surveillance system in Lagos

Alhaji HAFIZ RINGIM Inspector General of Police

On 24 May, the Federal Government inaugurated an integrated digital surveillance system that would enable the Police monitor and detect criminal activities in the country’s largest city, Lagos, more effectively.

Inaugurating the system at the Lagos State Police Command’s headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos, the Minister for Police Affairs, Mr. Humphrey Abah, explained that the cameras being installed under the system, and at 50 locations in various parts of the city, were wired with security gadgets and provided with solar panels that would ensure their uninterrupted performance.  He added that 12 vehicles with automatic locator systems had also been provided to complement the operation of the system.

The minister stated that through the installation of the system, the Nigeria Police was being provided with a technology-driven capacity to maintain real-time surveillance of public facilities and infrastructure, in order to fight crime and criminality.

He said: “The Digital Security System is a state-of-the-art technology for ensuring real time surveillance, especially in those areas that could be perilous to security personnel”.

“I can assure you now that, wherever a crime is being committed, they (the persons involved) are being watched. The equipment would give opportunity for communication and coordination of activities between men deployed in the field and those in the command centre”.

He added that the project, worth over N600 million (4 million USD), was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to boosting the activities of the Nigeria Police, especially in a city like Lagos where the population poses a huge challenge.

He said the new system was also part of the Government’s ‘Safe City’ initiative in four metropolitan cities of the country. He disclosed that: “Under this project, a total of 121 dome-shaped digital survellance security cameras have been installed in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Yanagoa”.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, said the installation of the system was timely. The IGP said Lagos was the first place the project would be completed, but that the system would soon also be installed in the Federal Capital city of Abuja; Port Harcourt in Rivers State; and Yenagoa in Bayelsa State.