Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
No fewer than 21 people were killed and 195 others injured during the botched governorship rally of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Nembe, Nembe Local Government Area, Bayelsa, a panel of inquiry set up to document level of damage has revealed.
Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson who received the report of the panel from the Chairman, Commissioner of Police, Akpoebi Agberebi (rtd) described the incident as barbaric.
The governor in a statement described the level of violence perpetrated in Nembe as tragic and sacrilegious. “What took place in Nembe, should be referred to as, ‘Nembe massacre.’ It’s unfortunate that in this day and age, this continues to happen from time to time in our country and in this state particularly” he said
Governor Dickson expressed dismay that the perpetrators of the heinous acts were yet to be apprehended and brought to justice over two months after the election. He stressed the need for his administration to properly document the incident for posterity.
Dickson who noted that the wheel of justice may be slow, expressed optimism that justice would prevail on the killing of innocent people just before the last Bayelsa gubernatorial election.
“The Federal Government appeared not to be bothered about people who were killed in the name of politics and election. They wanted to take this state by force, and we thought , we should document it. You never can tell, sometimes the history hands of justice move very slowly but they sure will move and I can tell, it will happen”, he added
Presenting the report, Agberebi explained that a total number of 195 persons sustained various degrees of injuries. He said that at the end of the public sitting, 379 victims appeared before the panel.
He noted that the panel recorded 19 missing persons and 350 complainants whose properties were vandalised. “A total of 195 persons sustained various injuries, either by gunshot or some persons who were running and fell down. The number of persons that reported that their properties were vandalized were 350.”